The Golden Turnabout
by EmeraldWings1992
Summary: While following a lead in CA, Nate Drake is accused of murder! Phoenix is away doing a favor for a friend, but his mission goes south when he's captured by a ghost from Nate's past, and the only way he can live is by helping the man holding his hostage. Now it's up to Edgeworth and Gumshoe to save Phoenix and Apollo, Athena, and Sully to defend Nate! COMPLETE!
1. Back In The Game

A/N: Hey guys! Guess whose back! Yes, yes, I know, I'm pumping these stories out kind of quickly. BUT I just keep getting struck with the want (need) to write! So, I'm looking at finishing this around January 5th, but who knows? I might finish it sooner! Definitely no later then January 18th, though, as my faithful followers should know by now.

There will be Professor Layton elements in this story, but I will also write it so that you can understand without ever touching one of those games.

Well, here we go! This is set four years after Dual Destinies and one year after Uncharted 3. There will be a LOT of spoilers for all the games leading up to Uncharted 3. You have been warned.

…

Chapter One – Back In The Game

 **July 5, 4:16am**

 **The Drake Residence**

 **Master Bedroom**

Florida, especially Miami, was beautiful this time of year. Nathan Drake loved the warm breeze that swept through his open, bedroom window, causing the gauzy curtains that his wife, Elena, had picked out to billow and dance. Currently, he was curled up to the beautiful, headstrong blond, enjoying a few more hours of sleep before the sun invaded their bedroom.

At least, that's what he thought.

 _Ring-Ring! Ring-Ring!_

Nate groaned, turning his head towards his nightstand and opening one bleary eye to glare at the noisy electronic vibrating its way across the polished wooden surface.

 _Ring-Ring! Ring-Ring!_

"Answer it, or I'll murder you," the sleepy, adorably murderous voice of his wife drifted up from the sheet and pile of pillows that was Elena. Nate groaned and rolled away from her, caught it as it fell, looked at the caller ID, and flipped it open, putting it to his ear.

"What, Sully?" he growled. He laid back, listening to his oldest friend and father figure talk on the other end.

"Mhm… mhm…" he mumbled. Elena finally emerged from her sheet, watching her husband with some concern. Sully never called before eight unless it was something important. Nate sighed.

"Common, Sully. As interesting as it sounds, you know I'm no longer in the game. I gave that up after Ubar," the former treasure hunter reminded the man on the other line. Whatever Sully's response was, it made Nate shoot up, shock, rage, and fear mingling in his expression, each fighting for dominance. Elena sat up in alarm, confused by the sudden change in the man's demeanor.

"Alright, alright Sully. I'll be right there. You said in Los Angeles? … Okay. I'll see you soon." Nate hung up the phone and quickly stood, moving quickly around the room and gathering supplies in a suitcase.

"Nate, what are you doing? I thought you said no more treasure hunting," Elena said. Nate glanced up once with a sigh.

"I know, Elena, I know. But this isn't about treasure, or my pride, or anything," Nate explained, finding his boxers and a pair of pants on the floor. Elena frowned deeply, not understanding.

"Then what is it about?" she asked.

"Sully is on to something. Something big. It's not… it's not gold, or riches, but power. Major power. And he just ran into a ghost from our past, who will use that power for himself," Nate explained. Elena watched her husband curiously.

"And you're going… why?"

"To get to this treasure before this… _ghost_. And possibly destroy it."

"Oh. Well, if there's one thing you're good at, it's destroying artifacts and cities that are hundreds of years old," Elena said with a grin, thinking back to their last three adventures. Nate looked up with a furrowed brow.

"Hey. I always make sure they stay out of the clutches of the bad guys, don't I? Give me a little credit here!"

"Hmm… nope!" she grinned, leaning forward and making sure the blanket stayed wrapped around her naked body. "You better come back in one piece."

"I will," Nate promised, closing the distance between the two for a heated kiss.

…

A/N: And here's chapter one! A little short, I know. The next chapter will be a bit short as well, but hey, what's a person supposed to do, right?


	2. A Favor For A Friend

A/N: Hey guys! Here's chapter two! Another short one, but these are just set up. Things really start getting interesting next chapter!

Nothing else to say here. Let's get this show on the road!

…

Chapter Two – A Favor For A Friend

 **July 5, 11:36am**

 **Fey Manor**

 **Family Room**

Phoenix Wright was an average man in his late thirties, with a life that was not so average. Along with this job as a Defense Attorney, famed with taking impossible cases and winning them (plus usually working Pro Bono), he was married to a Spirit Medium.

And not just any Spirit Medium, but the Master of her technique. That meant his daughter, Misty Fey-Wright, was a Spirit Medium and next in line for Master as well (since the abilities only went through the female line).

"Daddy, look!" three year old Misty squealed. Phoenix looked up from where he was tickling the crap out of his son (and Misty's twin), Joshua. Misty's hands and Magatama were glowing with a soft green light.

"Um, sweetie, what are you doing?" Phoenix asked, eyeing her hands wearily.

"Magic!" she squealed happily, bouncing up and down. Despite his experience with Spiritual power, and capabilities with a charged Magatama, Phoenix himself had no spiritual powers of his own, and he didn't know if what she was doing would hurt him or not.

Thankfully, that was when Maya walked in.

"Mommy, look!" Misty squealed, bouncing over to the woman. Phoenix let out a sigh of relief, until the momentarily-forgotten Joshua jumped on him, attacking Phoenix's side.

"Whoa! Hey! No!" Phoenix laughed, falling back under the onslaught. Maya shook her head at her husband and knelt in front of Misty.

"Young Lady, what did I tell you about using your powers without supervision?"

"But…" Misty pouted. "Daddy…" she pointed to where Joshua was getting the upper hand on Phoenix. Maya looked over and covered her mouth, hiding her smile at that. It was so hard to be stern with the kids!

"Daddy doesn't count. He doesn't have spiritual powers like me and you," Maya explained, carefully taking the young girl's hand and, with a little spiritual magic of her own, got Misty's to shut off.

Suddenly, the sound of the Steel Samurai theme song filled the air, originating from Phoenix's pocket.

"J-Joshua! Josh, stop!" Phoenix gasped, catching the boy.

"Why?" the three year old demanded.

"I have to answer my phone," Phoenix said, sitting up with the boy in his lap.

"Oh."

Phoenix fished the phone out of his pocket and answered, cradling it between his shoulder and ear as he fixed first his own spikes, then his son's. "Hello?"

…

"Oh, hi Professor. What's up?" … "Wait, what? But I'm not…" … "What about Luke?" … "Oh, right…" … "Well, if there's not other way…" … "Oh sure, why not?" … "Alright, I'll call when I find something…" … "Alright, bye."

"Who was that?" Maya asked, though she could already guess the answer.

"The Professor. He asked me to check something out for him. The University won't allow him another Sabbatical," Phoenix explained.

"Gee, I wonder why?" Maya said with a coy smile, causing Phoenix to laugh. "And with Luke away studying the Native Americans with his dad and Kingson… So where is this thing he wants you to find?"

"He said all of his research points to something in these mountains." Phoenix sighed, shaking his head. "He's going to fax everything to the office. I just hope it's not another Maze Stone on Library…"

…

A/N: And another chapter done! What did you think of Misty and Josh? I think they're so cute!

There will be one more phone call, in the next chapter, but we'll get to hear the other line in that one.

Also, the last line is a reference to one of my other stories, _The Professor's Apprentice_. For you new readers, every single one of my stories happen within the same universe, though I try my best to write everything so that it can be a stand alone as well (unless otherwise stated, like in _Turnabout to Revenge_ ).

That line won't impact the story in anyway, but a lot of bad shit went down in that story, let's just leave it at that, hehe.


	3. A Strange Call

A/N: And here we go with Chapter three!

…

Chapter Three – A Strange Call

 **July 8, 2:10am**

 **The Edgeworth Residence**

 **Miles' Bedroom**

The room was dark, the only light coming from the single window that faced out onto the busy Los Angeles street. This close to Hollywood made the city feel a lot like New York: the city that never sleeps.

So used to this light and the constant noise of the cars and sirens, Miles Edgeworth managed to block it out while he slept peacefully in his comfortable, double bed.

 _Ring-ring! Ring-ring!_

That, however, was a noise he couldn't block out. He groaned softly, pulling one of his pillows over his head.

 _Ring-ring! Ring-ring!_

Despite how much he wanted to kill his phone where it was vibrating on his nightstand, he knew he should answer. As Chief Prosecutor of the Los Angeles district, he was on 24/7 call.

After all, the criminals didn't care if he got enough sleep.

 _Ring-ring! Ring-ring!_

Sitting up and rubbing his bleary eyes, Miles reached over, pulling the phone off of the charger, and glanced at the caller ID.

"Wright? What could you possibly want at…" Miles glanced at the time. "2:13 in the morning?"

 _Ring-ring! Ring-ring!_

Miles answered, putting the device to his ear.

"Hello?"

" _No… I don't want to don't want to don't want to…"_ Phoenix muttered on the other end of the line. Miles' brow furrowed, and he pulled on his glasses and glanced again at his phone. His first thought was that this was a prank, but then he remembered that Phoenix was away, doing a favor for a friend. And that if he was calling this early in the morning, something was wrong. After all, Phoenix Wright wasn't that much like Larry Butz.

He hit the record button.

"Wright, where are you? What's wrong?" Miles asked over Phoenix's muttering.

" _I don't… I don't… I don't want to… don't want to don't want to…"_ Phoenix's voice replied. His words were becoming more hysterical, and there was noise behind it. Footsteps, shuffling, the sound of a man's voice shouting and another one talking calmly. " _DON'T TOUCH ME!_ " Phoenix suddenly shouted, making Miles jump and his skin crawl.

"Phoenix, where the hell are you?" the man demanded, worried for his seemingly delirious friend. Phoenix's voice sounded more and more hysterical and somewhat paranoid the longer Edgeworth stayed on the phone.

" _Don't make me make me…"_

"Phoenix!"

" _No! Don't don't don't don't!"_

Miles stopped talking, listening. He could heard the sound of a struggle, and a sense of dread dropped into his stomach like a ball of lead. He pulled the blanket back and quickly stood, pulling a house robe on over his silk pajamas and pushing his feet into slippers.

He planned on calling Gumshoe from his house phone and making him trace the call, trace Phoenix's cell, something.

" _Nononono… You can't make me make me make me, don't want to don't want to, no…"_

"Phoenix," Miles tried again, his voice desperate. "Where are you? What's going on?"

" _ **BANG!**_ "

Miles jumped, nearly dropping the phone, his ear ringing. He'd recognize that sound anywhere. It was one that haunted his dreams for nearly fifteen years, and a sound he's heard quite a few times since then.

" _NO!_ " Phoenix screamed from the other end of the line, just before it went dead.

"Phoenix? Phoenix! Damn it, Phoenix!" Miles yelled at his phone, trying to call the man back. It went straight to voicemail. He tried a few more times with no success before running back up to his room, taking the steps two at a time, and swiftly changing. He then ran out of the house and got into his red Mercedes, whipping out of his driveway and speeding the whole way to the precinct.

 **July 8, 3:34am**

 **Police Department**

 **Criminal Affairs**

Dick Gumshoe, head of the Homicide department, yawned widely, resting his head on his desk. It had been a long night, and he still had half an hour and no money for coffee. The bright side was that, despite being a long night, it was also a slow one, meaning that no one was killed.

Or at least, no one called in about someone being killed.

 _Ring-ring! Ring-ring!_ Gumshoe lifted his head and looked over at the detective who answered the phone.

"Gumshoe," a voice said. The man jumped and turned, finding himself face-to-scary face with the Chief Prosecutor. It was obvious the man left his house in a hurry. His usually neat, steel gray hair was messy, and he missed a few buttons on the black vest under his reddish-pink suit jacket. Even his frilly-scarf-thing was just hanging around his neck, rather then actually being done.

"Mr. Edgeworth, sir! What can I do for you?" Gumshoe asked, his tiredness forgotten.

"I need you to trace a cell phone for me."

"Whose?"

"Phoenix Wright's."

"Excuse me, sir, did you just say Phoenix Wright?" another detective asked. Miles whirled on the man, nearly loosing his frilly-scarf-thing.

"Yes. What about it?" he demanded.

"Well, Wright's wife… reported him missing last night," the detective admitted.

"What!?"

"Here's some good news, sir!" Gumshoe said excitedly. Miles turned back to the detective, adjusting his glasses and leaning forward to look at the man's computer monitor. "Wright's cell is in Vitamin Square!"

"Uh-oh. Bad news then," the detective who had answered the phone said, coming over.

"What?" Edgeworth growled, not wanting anymore bad news.

"There was a murder in Vitamin Square."

…

A/N: DUN, DUN, DUUUUUUUUN!

What's going on with Phoenix!? You'll see soon enough, hehe.


	4. A New Client

A/N: Here we go!

…

Chapter Four – A New Client

 **July 8, 9:05am**

 **Wright Anything Agency**

The Wright Anything Agency. Previously know as the Wright and Co. Law Offices (and before that, the Fey and Co. Law Offices), it now doubled as a Law office and a talent agency. The owner of the Law portion, Phoenix Wright, was away, now missing, and the owner of the Talent portion, Trucy Wright (nineteen year old adopted daughter of Phoenix and Maya), was with her family through this trying time.

That meant that it fell on the shoulders of Phoenix's senior understudy, Apollo Justice, to open up the offices. After all, even if they normally worked Pro Bono, there were those few clients who came along and paid well for their services.

And lord knows the three lawyers of the Wright Anything Agency needed money.

Apollo sighed, glancing around the cluttered common area, before moving over to his equally as cluttered desk. The junior understudy, Athena Cykes, would be in around ten with breakfast, leaving Apollo an hour to try to clear his desk before he hand his hands full with the outgoing, excitable red-head.

Just then, there was a rough knock on the door.

"Um, we're open?" Apollo called, glancing once more at his desk before looking at the door. In walked a gruff looking, elder man. He was both broad and tall, with a crew hair cut of steel gray with a matching mustache. "Um, hi? Can I help you?" Apollo asked.

"Yeah, hi. I'm looking for Phoenix Wright?" the man said.

"Um… Mr. Wright isn't… in," Apollo replied. "But if you're looking for a defense attorney, I'm one too. Apollo Justice," he said, reaching forward to shake the man's hand.

"Victor Sullivan. Do you mind if I smoke in here?" Without waiting for an answer, the man pulling a cigar and a lighter from his pocket.

"Um, actually, we… okay," Apollo said, coughing slightly as the smoke billowed over him.

"Are you sure you'll be up to this, kid?" I can tell you now, this case isn't an easy one," Victor said.

"Well, Mr. Sullivan-"

"Sully, please."

"Um, Sully, we pride ourselves here at the Wright Anything Agency for taking on the impossible cases. What's this one about?"

"It's a murder case."

"Okay," Apollo said, picking up his notebook to take notes. "Who's the defendant? The suspect?"

"His name's Nathan Drake. The victim is a man named Dylan Done," Sully said, looking around at the magic stuff that cluttered the room. "I thought this was a Law Office?" he suddenly asked. Apollo looked up from his notes.

"It is. It doubles as a Talent Agency, run by Mr. Wright's daughter. Is there any other information you can give me about the case?" Apollo asked.

"Um, no. I wasn't there that night," Sully admitted, turning back to the man. He was beginning to question the wisdom of coming to the Wright Anything Agency, despite the police singing the praises of the lawyers working here. "I was checking something else out."

"Alright," Apollo said, slipping his notebook into his pocket. "I'll head down to the Detention Center to talk to Mr. Drake. Can I do anything else for you?" Apollo asked, glancing at his watch. It was only 9:21am. Just after visiting hours started, but another forty minutes until Athena arrived.

"Nope," Sully said, before pulling out a card. "Here's the hotel I'm staying in. My number's on the back, if you have any other questions." Apollo took the card, adding it to his notebook.

"Okay, um, Sully," he replied, the nickname feeling weird to him. "I'll be in touch."

 **July 8, 9:40am**

 **Detention Center**

 **Visitor's Room**

Apollo sat in the chair on the one side of the large window of plexiglass, waiting for his new client to arrive. This case seemed like any other case Apollo has worked. A murder case, seemingly impossible, with interesting people involved (Sully was a very odd bird, there was no doubt about it).

Just then, a man walked in and slouched in the seat in front of Apollo. Apollo studied him quickly. Tall, and muscular, he seemed to be about the same age, maybe a year or two younger, then Mr. Wright. He had short, dark brown hair, about the same shade as Apollo's and a scruffy five o'clock shadow.

Faded, distressed-styled jeans, a dirty, stained quarter sleeve white shirt that was half-tucked, a wedding band, and a dark brown, leather wristband/watch completed the ensemble.

"Hi. I'm Apollo Justice, Defense Attorney," Apollo introduced himself, remembering what Mr. Wright said. A Defense Attorney should always smile. Apollo felt it put potential clients at ease.

"Yeah, hi. I thought Sully was going to high a man named Wright," the man said.

"Mr. Wright is… out of town right now," Apollo said, quickly coming up with a story. He didn't want to go into detail. "I'm Mr. Wright's understudy."

"Oh. Well then. It's nice to meet you. Nathan Drake," the man said.

"So, Mr. Um… Sully… said that you were arrested for murder. Can you tell me more about that night?" Apollo asked. Nate snorted at what the poor attorney called his friend.

"Never heard him called 'Mr. Sully' before… Well, that night, around one in the morning, I met with Done at a nasty restaurant called Tres Bien," Nate explained, sitting back in his seat, draping an arm over the back. "We talked for a bit, then left around two. He went his way, I went mine."

"Okay… why'd you meet with him so late?" Apollo asked, checking his notebook. Done was the name of the victim.

"That's when we both had free. I only just got to LA this morning, and I had a few other things on my plate before we could meet up."

"And why'd you meet with the victim?"

"He had information I wanted."

Apollo looked up at the man in front of him.

"So, you met with the victim early this morning, and now he's dead. I'm guessing he didn't make it to breakfast, huh?" the Defense Attorney asked. Nate smirked slightly.

"Not unless you count that nasty French food. Nah, apparently, according to the police, I was the last one to see him alive."

"But you saw him leave the restaurant, and went a different way?" Apollo asked, touching his bracelet.

"Yeah. He walked around the back of the restaurant. Guess he lived that way," Nate said with a shrug. "I walked down the street, heading back to the hotel me and Sully were staying in."

Apollo waited a second, but there was no reaction from his bracelet.

"Okay, Mr. Drake. I'll take your case. But you need to tell me what you and the victim were talking about that night," Apollo said.

"Um, why?" Nate asked. Apollo rose an eyebrow, curious at the defensiveness from his client.

"Because it could be crucial to the case. And if I'm to get an innocent verdict from you, I need to know the truth," Apollo said. Nate hesitated, staring at the red clad man in front of him.

"Okay, look. There's a lost city, somewhere in the mountains around here. Sully and I are looking for it, and Done had information about it," Nate explained. Apollo stared at him, waiting for the man to laugh and say he was joking, or for the bracelet around his wrist to react.

Nether of these things happened.

"You're serious, aren't you?" Apollo asked.

"You don't believe me?" Nate asked. Apollo hesitated a moment longer before sighing.

"I believe you. But… I find it kind of hard to believe that Atlantis is hiding somewhere in the mountains behind the Hollywood sign."

Nate laughed at this comment.

"Not exactly Atlantis, but yeah. Who knew?"

"Yeah, seriously." Apollo shook his head. "So, do you know where the crime scene was?"

"Behind that nasty restaurant. I think it's called… Fruity Square? Um… Veggie Park?"

"Vitamin Square?"

"Yeah, that's it!"

 **July 8, 10:39am**

 **Vitamin Square**

"I can't believe you went and met our client without me!" the tall, yellow-clad, female defense lawyer yelled at Apollo as they walked into the small park that laid behind Tres Bien. Apollo glanced over at her necklace, a mood-reading mini-robot named Widget. Even its face was red and angry.

"Sorry, Athena, but what was I supposed to do? Besides, I don't see any breakfast," Apollo pointed out.

"You left me behind," Athena said, turning her head away, her long ginger ponytail swinging with the movement. "So I ate it."

"Of course you did," Apollo sighed.

"Well, well, if it isn't Herr Forehead and Fraulein Cykes," a smooth voice said in a bad German accent. Apollo sighed, looking up at his rival, Prosecutor Klavier Gavin.

"Mr. Gavin," he replied.

 _Why is it he works almost every case I'm on?_ Apollo thought to himself.

"I'm sorry to hear about Herr Wright," Gavin said. Athena looked away, her expression matching the dark blue sad face of Widget.

"Thanks, Mr. Gavin. So, you're the Prosecutor in this case?" Apollo asked. Klavier grinned at Apollo, hands on his hips, and leaning closer to the defense attorney, totally invading his personal space.

"Yep. Are you the Defense Attorney, Herr Forehead?"

"Yes," Apollo grumbled, stepping back. He _hated_ that nickname.

 _My forehead's not_ that _big… is it?_ He thought a little self-consciously, reaching up and touching his own forehead. Gavin noticed and snickered before reaching into his bag.

"Well, the murder was this morning, sometime between two and three. A single shot to the head," Gavin explained, pulling out a copy of the autopsy report. "Fraulein Detective prepared this for us. Here's your copy."

Apollo took the pro-offered file, flipping through it. Despite how much Gavin annoyed him, it was nice not having to beg the head detective for the autopsy report.

"Thanks. You know Ema would kill you for calling her that though, right? Especially since she's now a Forensic Scientist."

"She would never kill me," Gavin said with a grin. "Besides, once a name sticks, there's no changing it. Right, Herr Forehead?"

Apollo scowled at the man before scanning the report.

"It says here the murder weapon was a 92SF-9mm Pistol. Does that mean the weapon was found?"

"Of course! What kind of investigator do you take me for?" Gavin said, pulling out a bag that contained a handgun. With a non-committal hum, not answering one way or another, Apollo studied the gun, jotting notes about it in his notebook.

"Thanks, Mr. Gavin," Apollo said.

"You're welcome. I'll leave the crime scene in your hands," the prosecutor said, waving and walking away. Apollo shook his head, looking around. Near the apple slide was a white outline of where a body laid and a pool of dried blood.

"He's so dreamy…" Athena suddenly said, once the prosecutor was out of earshot. Apollo quickly turned and looked at the girl next to him. Even Widget was pink with a blushing face.

"Seriously?" Apollo demanded.

" _Dreamboat!_ " Widget chirped.

"Ugh!" Apollo stalked away from his co-counsel, going to investigate. It was bad enough when it was just Trucy, but now Athena too?

…

A/N: And here's day one of investigations! Vitamin Park keeps popping up, huh? Hehe.

By the way, I think I just found my new favorite ship for Athena. What do you think?

Next chapter, coming soon!


	5. Trial Day One

A/N: First day in court. ONWARD!

…

Chapter Five – Trial Day One

 **July 9, 9:30am**

 **District Court**

 **Defendant Lobby 3**

After searching the park, Apollo and Athena didn't find anything else. There was also nothing to be found at the hotel room Nate shared with Sully, leaving the Defense Attorney team with only two pieces of evidence and no idea of what happened at morning of the murder.

"Do you think we have a chance?" Apollo asked Athena as the two waited for their client.

"Of course!" Athena said with a confident grin.

" _We're doomed!_ " Widget chirped pleasently.

"Widget!" Athena gasped. Apollo chuckled at her, shaking his head.

"Hey, Mr. Justice," Nate said as he was let into the lobby. Both Athena and Apollo looked up.

"Mr. Drake. It's good to see you. This is my partner and co-counsel, Athena Cykes," Apollo said, introducing the two.

"It's nice to meet you," Nate said, shaking her head. Sully entered just then followed by a woman in a long lab coat and glasses with pink lenses.

"Sully, there you are," Drake said with a grin. The older man clasped his shoulder.

"Nate, how you holding up?" he asked.

"Fine. This is actually the nicest prison I've spent time in," Nate said with a laugh.

"Wait, what?" Athena asked.

"Hey, guys," the woman said, pulling Apollo's attention away from his client.

"Hey Ema. What are you doing here?"

"I'm the head Forensic Scientist on the case," Ema Skye said with a grin, moving her glasses to the top of her head with a grin. Apollo smiled back.

"Okay, but what are you doing here?"

"I'm going to be the first witness." She crossed her arms thoughtfully.

"I thought that was supposed to be the Lead Detective…" Athena said thoughtfully.

"Yeah, well… the detective is fresh from the academy and that… Glimmerous Flop thought that it'd be better to have a more experienced detective up on the stand," Ema explained.

"Ah. Hate to say it, but he's probably right…" Apollo said.

"I just figured I'd give you two a heads up. This case is pretty tight. All the evidence points to your client," she said. Unfortunately, it was that moment that Nate and Sully decided to tune in to the conversation.

"Whoa, hey, whoa… just like that?" Sully demanded.

"Don't worry, Mr. Drake. We've been told that before, and still managed to win," Athena said. Despite her confidence, Widget was still dark blue, but thankfully silent. Apollo noticed this, but smiled warmly at his client.

"We'll figure this out. I believe in you, Mr. Drake."

"Thanks, Mr. Justice," Nate said before frowning at Ema.

"It was just a warning, Justice." She smirked at him. "See you in there!" she walked out of the lobby. Athena looked at Apollo with a smirk.

"She likes you."

"What? No. We're just friends," Apollo said.

"That's not what either of your hearts are saying," Athena teased.

"Can we just focus on the case at hand?" Apollo demanded, his face red.

"Yeah, please?" Nate added.

"Right, sorry," Athena said, looking down. She couldn't contain the grin though.

"Will the defendant and his attorneys please make their way to the court room? Trial is about to start."

"Here we go," Apollo said, leading the way in.

 **July 9, 10:00am**

 **District Court**

 **Court Room 3**

"Court is now in session for the trial of Nathan Drake. Is the Defense ready?" the judge asked.

"Yes, your honor," Apollo replied from where he stood behind the Defense bench.

"Is the prosecution ready?" the judge asked, looking over at the ex-rock band singer.

"Achtung, baby!" was Gavin's reply.

"Er, right. Your opening statements, please."

"I think we'll just go ahead and let our first witness tell the court about the incident," Gavin said, looking over to where the Forensic Scientist sat. She stood and made her way to the witness stand.

"Name and occupation, please," Gavin said.

"Dr. Ema Skye. I'm the lead forensic scientist on this case," Ema said, crossing her arms with a smirk.

"Okay, Fraulein Detective. Please tell us about that night," the prosecutor said. Ema frowned deeply at the man, and muttered something under her breath.

"Why does she keep calling him a fop?" Athena, who actually heard Ema, asked Apollo softly. He snorted softly, but shook his head.

"Long story."

"Please, Dr. Skye," the Judge said, cutting off her muttered rant. She took a deep breath, gathered her thoughts, and began.

"The incident happened July 8th, between two and three in the morning."

" _Hold it!_ What was the victim doing out so early in the morning?" Apollo asked. Despite what Nate told him, he wanted to know the police's take on it.

"He was meeting with the defendant at Tres Bien," Ema explained, looking up thoughtfully, tugging on a lock of her hair.

"Why?"

"I don't know, Mr. Justice," Ema said, dropping her hand to her hip and looking at the defense attorney. "I'm no mind reader."

"Moving on," Gavin butted in before Apollo could say anything. "Before you two get into a lover's spat."

"H-hey!" Apollo spluttered, blushing slightly. Ema was blushing slightly too, and muttered a little more before continuing.

"Mr. Drake followed Mr. Done, the victim, out of the restaurant."

" _Hold it!_ What proof is there that my client was even there at the restaurant that night?" Apollo demanded. At the moment, he was just fishing for more evidence and information. He needed more then just the Autopsy Report and the murder weapon.

Unfortunately, he got it.

"There was surveillance video," Ema said.

"Surveillance video?"

"Yes, Herr Forehead. You didn't see it?" Gavin asked curiously. He could have sworn he gave everything to the fiery-brunette. Going by the combination of a dismayed look, drooping hair, slouch, and buckets of sweat.

"Um… no…" Apollo mumbled.

"Neither did I!" The Judge exclaimed. "Well, we can watch it now. Bailiff! Prepare the monitor."

A few minutes later, the video began to play. It showed Nathan Drake sitting at a table with a middle age, balding yet muscular man. The table between them was cluttered with papers. The two were talking calmly for a few minutes, until Drake suddenly stood, gesturing wildly towards the man. Despite the video having no sound, it was clear he was yelling. The other man, Dylan Done, stood up as well, quickly collecting the papers on the table and stuffing them into his bag. A waited came over, only for both men to slap some money down for their uneaten food and walk out.

"O-oh… That was um… insightful," Apollo muttered, taking notes in his notebook.

"Y-yeah…" Athena mumbled.

"Please continue, Dr. Skye," the judge said.

"It was behind the restaurant, in Vitamin Square, that the defendant attacked Mr. Done," Ema concluded.

" _Hold it!_ What do you mean, attacked?" Apollo demanded.

"Mr. Drake went after the victim with a gun," the scientist explained.

"Do you mean this 92FS-9mm Pistol?" Apollo asked, holding up the baggy with the gun in it.

"Yes," Ema said, moving her pink-lensed glasses to in front of her eyes to study the gun better.

Apollo smirked, finally finding a contradiction. "There aren't any fingerprints on it, and I doubt the gun is registered to Mr. Drake." Apollo slammed his fists down on the desk in front of him. "So tell me, Dr. Skye." He pointed at the woman, "how can you tie it to my client!?"

"You're right, Mr. Justice. The gun's not registered to Mr. Drake," Ema replied, seeming unruffled. Noticing this, Apollo groaned internally. "It's registered to Victor Sullivan, Mr. Drake's good friend and companion who, incidentally, has a solid alibi."

 _My beautiful contradiction!_ Apollo thought in dismay.

"What's his alibi?" Apollo demanded, desperately.

"Her name's Rolanda. She confirmed that he was… spending quality time with her," Ema said, picking a fuzzy off her sleeve, a clear look of disgust on her face.

"Sully!" Nate said incredulously from the defendant's chair, turning to face his friend in the gallery.

"What?" came the response. It sound like the man was trying hard not to laugh.

"Order! Order!" the judge yelled, slamming his gavel down. He then looked over at the Defense Bench. "Any more questions for this witness, Mr. Justice?" the Judge asked.

"Um… no, your honor," Apollo said. The Judge nodded and looked over at Ema.

"You may step down. Mr. Gavin, your next witness, please."

"Achtung, Baby!" the man said, before pointing at the Nate. "I'm calling the defendant to the stand."

"What? Already?" The Judge asked, surprise.

"Yep. You don't have any problems with that, right, Herr Forehead?" Gavin asked, looking across the room at the defense attorney. Apollo thought for a moment before making his decision.

"No objections here, your honor."

"Well, okay then…"

Klavier studied Nate once he got settled at the witness stand. "Name and occupation, please."

"Nathan Drake. I'm a handy man," Nate said, leaning forward on the stand.

"Okay, Mr. Drake. Why don't you tell us about the night of the murder," Gavin said. Nate nodded and stood up straight, crossing his arms and getting started.

"I had met with Done for information on something I'm researching," he began.

" _Hold it!_ Apollo said. He already knew this information, but he knew if he didn't ask, Gavin would. "What were you researching?"

Nate studied his lawyer for a moment before glancing at Gavin, realizing what Apollo was doing. "Just some local history stuff," he replied.

"Why?" Gavin asked. "You don't have a historian or an Archeology degree."

Nate looked over at the man, a look of half surprise, half annoyance on his face. "Oh, I'm sorry," he began, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "I didn't know you needed a college education to enjoy history."

There was some muttering from the gallery, and Gavin frowned deeply at the man, unbalanced by the response. Apollo, despite knowing this could affect his case for the worse, grinned at seeing Gavin like that.

"Please continue, Mr. Drake," the Judge said once he got order again. "Why did you and Mr. Done argue?"

"That asshole double crossed me!" Nate said indignantly. The Judge gasped softly at the curse.

" _Hold it!_ " Apollo said before anyone could comment on the foul word. "What do you mean, 'double crossed' you?"

"He didn't give me the info, an d he was telling my… competitors about my movements," Nate explained, crossing his arms.

"Well, there's the motive," Gavin said with a grin.

"Wait, no! I didn't do it! I couldn't have!" Nate snapped before Apollo could object.

"Why not?" the Judge asked with genuine curiosity.

"These competitors of mine attacked me earlier that day and stole my gun," Nate explained.

" _Hold it!_ Mr. Drake, why do you even have a gun?" Apollo asked. This was something that had been bothering him for a while.

"Sully and I have a lot of enemies, thanks to what we used to do. Dangerous enemies. It was just for self-defense," Nate explained, looking down at the stand. Apollo's bracelet gave the slightest twinge, but he realized that was just because the man was uncomfortable talking about this, not because he was lying.

"Big gun just for self-defense," Gavin commented.

"Yeah, well… Sully doesn't buy small," Drake replied, glancing at his friend in the gallery.

 _I bet Rolanda wasn't small… wait, no. Bad Justice_. Apollo thought to himself.

"But that's besides the point," Nate added.

"What do you mean?" Apollo asked.

"I wasn't even in that park that night," Drake concluded.

" _OBJECTION!_ " Apollo yelled, pointing at the man, before pointing at the monitor where they watched the Tres Bien Surveillance Footage. "There's footage of you there that night!"

"In the restaurant," Drake said, crossing his arms. "But when I left, I didn't go into the park. I walked back to the hotel Sully and I were staying in," he explained.

" _OBJECTION!_ We talked to the man at the front desk that night. He said he never saw you!" Gavin said, pointing at Nate. Apollo frowned at that.

 _Why would Mr. Drake lie about that?_ He wondered.

"That's because I decided to go find Sully after I was nearly hit by a car. Unfortunately, I was arrested before I found him." He looked out at his friend. "And now I know why," he added.

"Oh," Gavin said.

"Are there anymore questions for this witness?" the Judge asked. Both prosecutor and defense attorney shook their heads. "Are their anymore witnesses?"

"No, your honor," Gavin admitted.

"Very well. I don't have enough testimony or evidence to pass a verdict at this time. Both the defense and the prosecution will investigate this manor further. Until them, court is adjourned until tomorrow. That is all." The Judge beat his gavel once, emphasizing his announcement.

 **July 9, 12:41pm**

 **District Court**

 **Defendant Lobby 3**

"You slept with a hooker last night?" Nate demanded of his friend.

"Not just any hooker, Nate. You know Rolanda. Her and I go way back," Sully said with a grin.

"Yes, yes, I remember Rolanda. But really, Sully? I thought we were here on business!"

"It was business. For her…" Sully said with a laugh. "Besides, I ran into her _after_ I finished my part."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Nate sighed before looking at his lawyers. Apollo and Athena were standing to the side, watching the exchange. "So, now what?" Nate asked.

"Well, you'll go back to the Detention Center, while we investigate and try to get more ammo for trial tomorrow," Apollo explained. Nate sighed playfully.

"Alright. And Mr. Justice? Ms. Cykes? Thanks."

…

A/N: Tada! Day one of trial done!


	6. The Cave

A/N: Shorter chapter this time. ONWARD!

…

Chapter Six – The Cave

 **July 9, 2:01pm**

 **Unknown Location**

Phoenix Wright felt, and looked, like hell. He wasn't hurt, physically, but he was exhausted, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Deep bags hung under his eyes, and his face was extremely pale, showing that he hadn't slept at all for at least forty-eight hours.

He was leaning against the wall in the small space the men who was holding him hostage put him in. Looking around, Phoenix figured it had to be a storage crate, the large ones found at docks or transported by trains, if the steel walls were any indication. And it was moving, a gentle rocking motion, interrupted every now and again by a bump or tilting forward or backwards.

Phoenix's eyes began to droop, the gentle rocking lulling him to sleep.

 _No! Don't shoot me! Please!_

 _ **BANG!**_

Phoenix's eyes flew open, his heart racing fast, his breathing short.

The rocking stopped. His breathing and heart calmed, Phoenix sat up, looking towards the entrance. A few moments later, the door opened, letting in a sharp ray of light. Phoenix cringed, bringing his arm up to block the light, a soft groan escaping from him.

"I hope you're comfortable, Mr. Wright," a smooth, British voice said as a man came closer. Phoenix blinked the spots from his eyes and studied the man in front of him.

Edward Rodgers. He was two inches taller then Phoenix himself, but twice as broad, sharply dressed, and casually holding a pistol in his right hand. Him, and their leader, were the only two who talked to Phoenix at all.

"Somewhat," the attorney mumbled.

"Oh, good." Rodgers stepped forward and kneeled on one knee in front of the exhausted man, studying his eyes. "Still can't sleep?" he cooed mockingly. Phoenix simply glared at the man, not answering. Rodgers laughed before grabbing Phoenix's arm.

"Up you come. We've arrived," he said, dragging the other man up and out of the crate. Phoenix turned away from the sunlight as he was dragged along, until, finally, his eyes adjusted.

 **July 9, 2:13pm**

 **Damp Cave**

 **Entrance**

Phoenix looked around the dark, damp cave they entered. It was large and round, with a dark archway set in the wall, leading deeper into the caves.

All over the walls were carved reliefs of beautiful people, their eyes closed, seeming at peace.

"It's a burial chamber," Rodger's mumbled. Phoenix stayed quiet, looking around. He had no idea what it was until the man had said something, but he knew his life depended on him seeming like he understood something.

"There's a puzzle back there," another man said to Rodgers. "Take Wright back there to solve it."

"Yes, sir," Rodgers said, dragging the poor man behind him.

 **July 9, 2:20pm**

 **Damp Cave**

 **Antechamber**

A soft, green glow emitted from the center of the ceiling, revealing walls covered from floor to ceiling in ancient, foreign symbols. A man stood across the chamber next to a large panel. Rodgers dragged Phoenix over to him.

"The puzzle. Solve it," he said. Phoenix took a deep breath and studied it. It was the kind of puzzle that had eight panels and nine slots. It looked like someone was just trying it, due to the lack of dust, they couldn't figure it out.

"Okay… have to make a symbol," Phoenix mumbled, stepping back to look at the entire thing at once. He then looked at the walls on either side of the panel, then around the room until, finally, he spotted a symbol, bigger then the rest, directly across the room. With a tired smile, he turned back to the puzzle and moved the panels around until, finally, the puzzle mirrored the symbol across the room.

A soft grating sound, like stone rubbing against stone, filled the room, until finally, a door opened.

"Good. Take him back to the crate," the leader said. Rodgers nodded, grabbing Wright under the arm and dragging him out of the Antechamber. The leader chuckled to himself.

"He certainly is no Drake, but he is useful, in his own way."

…

A/N: Poor Phoenix… To the next chapter!


	7. Day Two of Investigation

A/N: Another long chapter!

…

Chapter Seven – Day Two of Investigation

 **July 9, 2:04pm**

 **Vitamin Square**

Apollo and Athena followed Nate back to the Detention Center and talked to him a little longer, but didn't get any new information from him. They decided, instead, to check out the crime scene again. Meanwhile, Sully continued with the job he and Nate had come to Los Angeles to do.

"So what makes you think we'll find something else here, when we, nor the police, did yesterday?" Athena asked, looking around the park.

"There's no guarantee we'll find anything new," Apollo admitted. "But we both know that looking over somewhere a second time can yield something new. Especially now that we have more information on what happened."

"True."

"Okay, let's split up. I'll search the half of the park that has the fruity equipment. You check the half closer to the restaurant," Apollo said, heading towards the Apple Slide.

"Okay!" Athena said, walking over to the restaurant.

Apollo searched first through the slide and around the climb-through strawberry with no luck. It wasn't until he searched one of the orange seats that he hit jackpot.

Embedded in side of the orange seat were three bullets, overlooked due to the sheer amount of pigeons on the piece of equipment. Shooing the pigeons away (and nearly getting attacked by one), Apollo knelt close to the Orange Seat, pulling a plastic baggy and a pair of tweezers from his pocket and carefully prying the pieces of metal from the side.

Meanwhile, near Tres Bien, Athena was eyeing the overflowing trashcan. She knew that a lot of evidence could be found in the trashcan, but picking through garbage wasn't her favorite pastime.

"Everything okay, Athena?" Apollo asked, tucking the baggy with bullets in it into his vest pocket.

"Um… kind of. I searched everywhere except…"

"Except the trashcan," Apollo said, crossing his arms and looking between it and the girl. A slow smirk spread across his face.

"Oh, no, Polly! Don't make me do it!" Athena whined. Apollo shrugged.

"If we have any hope of getting our client acquitted…" he said offhandedly.

"Polly…" Athena whimpered. Apollo turned and looked at her, only to find puppy-dog eyes locked on his own. Suddenly, he felt incredibly mean.

"O-oh alright. But I'm not doing it by myself. You're helping!" Apollo said, pointing at her. Athena grinned.

"Okay!"

Apollo winded up digging through the trash by himself, while Athena watched. However, what they found in the trash alarmed both of them.

"Mr. Wright's phone…" Apollo said, showing Athena.

"Oh no…"

"And another gun. The same kind as the murder weapon," Apollo said.

"Polly… what if _that's_ the real murder weapon?" Athena asked.

"And what in the world is Mr. Wright's phone doing here?" Apollo asked.

"Well, we both know one person who can help us," Athena said, before smirking at Apollo. Apollo looked at her for a moment before frowning.

"Shut up."

 **July 9, 3:24pm**

 **Police Department**

 **Criminal Affairs**

Apollo and Athena walked into the squad room where the detectives worked, cutting through on their way to the forensic lab, when they noticed Gumshoe staring at his computer, Edgeworth hovering over his shoulder.

"There's still no hits on his bank cards or any city cameras, sir," Gumshoe sighed.

"What's that blinking?" Edgeworth asked, pointing to something on the computer screen.

"His phone! It's on the move!" Gumshoe said excitedly, opening that window up. "It's… it's… here."

"What?" Edgeworth asked, confused.

"Do you think they're talking about Mr. Wright's phone?" Athena asked.

"Probably," Apollo replied.

"Alright, you go talk to Ema. I'll take the phone and go talk to them," Athena said, taking the baggy with the phone and going over to the two very confused men.

"Are you sure something's not wrong with the GPS in his phone, Gumshoe?" Edgeworth asked, sounding annoyed.

"No, sir. Mr. Wright's phone is somewhere in this building. I'm sure of it!" Gumshoe replied.

"Yeah. It's right here," Athena said from behind the two. Both turned to face her, and she held up the baggy.

"Hey, pal! Where did you find that?" Gumshoe demanded.

"Vitamin Park?" she said, confused by their reactions. Miles crossed his arms, turning to face the detective, not looking pleased. Gumshoe looked at him, still thoroughly confused.

"I swear, sir! We searched everywhere!" Gumshoe said in an attempt to explain.

"Including the bottom of the trashcan?" Athena asked. Gumshoe looked at her blankly. "'Cause that's where Polly and me found this and a piece of evidence for our case."

"Oh."

"I look forward to your next salary assessment, Detective," Edgeworth said before looking at Athena. "Are you talking about the Done murder?"

"Yeah, why?" Athena asked, alarmed by the emotion she could hear coming from the man in front of her.

"There's a lot we need to talk about. And, you could probably use this." Edgeworth handed Athena a disc, before leading her to a private office.

 **July 9, 3:36pm**

 **Police Department**

 **Forensic Lab 6**

"Ema?" Apollo called, knocking lightly on the door frame. The plexiglass door to her lab was open, and he could see the scientist moving around in the back of the lab. She jumped slightly at his knock, looking up.

"Apollo? What is it?" Ema asked, motioning for him to come in.

"Well, Athena and I found some evidence that I'd like you to look at," Apollo admitted. Ema smirked.

"Scientifically, of course?" she asked. Apollo laughed, pulling the bullets and the gun out.

"Of course."

"And where did you find these?" Ema asked, stepping forward and taking the two bags.

"Vitamin Park, in the trash," Apollo admitted, pointing to the gun. "And an orange," he pointed at the bullets. After a moment's confusion, where she had to think about the park, Ema laughed.

"Always in the best places, huh?" she asked, moving over to her equipment and pulling on a pair of gloves. Apollo moved closer to watch.

"Always."

Ema worked carefully on the bullets first, studying them closely.

"What are you looking at?" Apollo asked after a little bit.

"The ballistic marks. See…" Ema hesitated, turning to face the attorney. "The bullet found in the victim's brain? The ballistic marks didn't match the first gun we found," she admitted.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Apollo asked with a frown. "That means our murder weapon isn't actually our murder weapon!"

"They only just extracted the bullet two hours ago, Apollo, meaning I only just got to examine it about an hour ago. In fact, I was getting ready to call you when you showed up," Ema said, looking up with a frown.

"Oh."

"But these bullets might have come from the first gun we found. Which is why I'm examining them," Ema explained.

"Ah." Silence fell between the two, before Apollo decided to voice Athena's earlier thought.

"What if the gun we found in the trash is the real murder weapon?" he asked. Ema glanced over at it.

"It probably is. I'll check it out once I'm done with these," she said.

"Oh. Okay."

Another two minutes went by before Ema stood up straight.

"They're a match!" she said excitedly, turning quickly, and running right into Apollo, who was going through his notebook. He dropped it and caught the scientist before she could fall too.

"Oh… um… good?" Apollo mumbled, realizing just how close their faces were. After a moment of staring into each other's startled eyes, Ema yanked back first, her cheeks red.

"I have to um… look at the other gun," she said, darting around the flustered attorney and over to a different set of equipment. Apollo crouched down and picked up his book and pen before moving over to a corner in the lab, deciding to just stay out of the way. Neither said anything for a while, until, finally, Ema's machine beeped.

"Uh-oh," Ema mumbled. Apollo looked up, seeing the horrified look on her face.

"What? What is it?" he asked, walking over swiftly. Ema looked at Apollo.

"Is… Is Mr. Wright still missing?" she asked.

"Yes…? What does that have to do with anything?" Apollo demanded.

"Well… the ballistic markings on the bullet found in the victim's brain matches that of the gun you found in the trash…" she started.

"Okay?"

"And there are fingerprints on this gun…"

"Really? That's great!" Apollo grinned, thinking he could use that as decisive evidence to prove Nate innocent. Then he saw the horrified look on Ema's face. "That's not great?"

"It's not great."

"Why? Whose are they?"

"Um… Well… the fingerprints… belong to Mr. Wright…" Ema mumbled.

"What? Are you sure?" Apollo demanded. Ema nodded.

"Positive. I ran the test four times."

"Four times?"

"Four times."

"Oh."

"That isn't good," a voice said from behind. Ema and Apollo both turned to find Klavier Gavin standing in the doorway. "I… have to go check something," the man said, turning and walking swiftly away before either attorney or scientist could say anything. Apollo felt like a boulder dropped into his stomach.

"Oh-no…"

"Polly?" Athena asked, stepping into the lab, looking around.

"Right here, Athena," Apollo muttered, walking over. He glanced back at Ema. "Thanks."

"Yeah, sure… no problem…" she said, watching the two attorney's head out. "Mr. Wright… what did you get yourself into now?" she mumbled, looking back at the evidence she still had to examine.

 **July 9, 4:58pm**

 **Wright Anything Agency**

"Polly, what's wrong? You look like you're about to be sick…" Athena asked, watching the attorney pace the office. He'd been quiet since they left Ema's lab, but Athena was smart enough to know it wasn't a lover's spat.

"Well… the gun we found in the trash is the real murder weapon," Apollo said.

"That's great! I bet it's not registered to anyone connected to Mr. Drake," she said.

"It has Mr. Wright's prints on it."

"WHAT!?"

"I… I don't know what to tell Maya or Trucy," Apollo said, before stopping, burying his face in his hands. "Oh god, the twins…"

"But… Mr. Wright is innocent, right? I mean, he's been accused of murder what, three times before? This is probably just like those times!" Athena said, putting on a smile. Widget was dark blue and scared.

"Athena, this is different from being framed, or set up, or blackmailed... Fingerprints on a murder weapon like a bottle is one thing. Fingerprints on a murder weapon like a gun is something else entirely."

"You think he did it!?" Athena demanded, surprised.

"No. I know he didn't. I just know that we're going to need a freaking miracle to prove Mr. Wright's innocence tomorrow."

"What… makes you think it'll have to be tomorrow?" Athena asked, almost scared of the answer.

"Gavin heard everything."

"Uh-oh."

"Yeah."

The two lapsed into silence before Apollo realized something.

"You never told me how it went with Edgeworth."

"Oh. He came to much the same conclusion as you about the boss, but without decisive evidence. Also… he gave me this." She pulled out the disc, holding it up for Apollo to see.

"What is it?"

"I don't know. Let's check it out." Athena sat behind her desk, turning on her computer, and popping the disc in. Apollo came around and watched as well. The timestamp read 2:18am, and showed a stretch of 15th Street.

"A Traffic Camera Footage?" Apollo asked.

"Seems that way."

The two watched as a few cars went by, until, finally, they saw Nathan Drake run across the street. One second, there was no car. The next, a fancy black Sedan nearly runs him over. Nate jumps out of the way, hitting the sidewalk at a roll, and came up, turning towards the retreating car.

"And there's Mr. Drake's alibi," Apollo said with a sigh. Never before did he feel this depressed at getting evidence that actually worked in his client's favor for once.

…

A/N: Oh I'm so mean. Hehe…

A little bit of romance and a WHOLE lot of drama. Yay!


	8. Trial Day Two

A/N: And away we go!

…

Chapter Eight – Day Two

 **July 10, 9:40am**

 **District Court**

 **Defendant Lobby 3**

Nate watched with a feeling of dread as his lawyer paced the lobby, seeming nervous. Very nervous. And worried.

"Um… Mr. Justice?" he said. Apollo didn't seem to hear him the first time, so Nate rose his voice. "Mr. Justice!"

"Huh, what?" Apollo asked, turning to his client. It was clear to see the younger man hadn't slept at all last night.

"My case is in the toilet, isn't it," Nate asked with a sinking heart.

"What? Oh, no. You'll be find," Apollo answered distractedly.

"Then… what's wrong?" the older man asked, a confused look clouding his face.

"If things happen the way I'm sure they will, all charges will be dropped against you. And—"

"Polly!" Athena called, coming in. "Sorry I'm late. You should have woken me up!" she said, punching the man's arm half-heartedly. Apollo still flinched, grabbing his arm.

"You really need to learn your own strength," he grumbled before turning back to Nate. "They're—"

"Will the defendant and his lawyers please enter the courtroom? The trail is about to start," the bailiff called. Apollo sigh and looked at Nate, who looked equal parts relieved and worried.

"Well… you'll see."

 **July 10, 10:00am**

 **District Court**

 **Courtroom 3**

"Court will now reconvene for the case of Nathan Drake. Is the prosecution ready?" the Judge said.

"Yes, your honor," Gavin replied, seeming a lot more subdued then yesterday.

"Is the defense ready?"

"Yes, your honor," Apollo answered.

"Yesterday, we discovered only that Mr. Drake and Mr. Done got into an argument. However, there was not enough testimony or evidence to convince me one way or another of the defendant's guilt. Mr. Gavin, you may begin," the Judge said, turning towards the man.

"Yes, Herr Judge. Through an investigation of a seemingly unrelated missing person's case, the police discovered evidence that supports Mr. Drake's alibi and throws the light of doubt on another individual. The Prosecution here-by drops all charges against Nathan Drake and instead moves to officially indict Mr. Phoenix Wright of the murder of Dylan Done," Klavier announce. He glanced over at Apollo with a slightly apologetic look and, although the defense attorney was mad, he understood.

Despite being on the other side of the courtroom, even Prosecutor Klavier Gavin looked up to the legendary Phoenix Wright.

"Mr. Wright?" the Judge gasped. "But isn't he missing?" he asked while the bailiff lead Nate out of the defendant's chair and next to Sully.

"Wright? Isn't he their boss?" Nate hissed to Sully, who nodded, listening closely.

"Yes, your honor. In fact, that was the missing person's case the police were investigating," Gavin clarified before taking a deep breath. "We have a witness and two pieces of decisive evidence. The court should find this sufficient enough to find Mr. Wright guilty."

"Alright, Mr. Gavin. What's this evidence?" the judge asked.

"The prosecution's witness will talk about the two pieces of evidence."

"Alright, you may call him or her to the stand," the Judge said. Gavin nodded before catching the eye of a young man in a cream colored trench coat, motioning towards the bench. The young blond quickly hopped up and took his place, looking a little too excited and fresh-faced for the gravity of the situation.

"Please state your name and occupation," Gavin began.

"Klu Hunter, reporting for duty, sir!" the man said excitedly, saluting Gavin. Apollo coughed slightly, hiding a snort, while Athena hid her mouth behind a hand.

" _Dork!_ " Widget chirped happily.

"Widget! Shush!" Athena gasped, putting her hands over the mini-robot. Hunter didn't seem to notice.

"I'm the lead detective on this case," Hunter finished, grinning brightly.

"Good. Why don't you tell us why your suspicions have switched from Mr. Drake to Mr. Wright?" the Judge asked. Hunter once again saluted the man.

"Yes, sir!" he said before taking a breath to get started.

"So, I guess we jumped the gun a bit when we arrested Mr. Drake, huh?" he began giving the man a sheepish smile. Nate waved it away.

" _Hold it!_ " Apollo started. "What made you change your mind, detective?"

Hunter frowned deeply at the defense attorney, crossing his arms. "We have evidence that states it was Mr. Wright. I'm getting to that, so just hold your horses!" he snapped. Apollo's eyes widened, and he held his hands up defensively.

"Okay, okay…"

"First," Hunter held up a baggy with a blue, beat up phone. "There's this phone. It belongs to Mr. Wright, and was found alongside the second piece of evidence." He held up a second bag, the one containing the second gun. "This gun."

" _Hold it!_ Where were these found?" Apollo asked. Almost as soon as these words were out of his mouth, he regretted it.

"You should know, Mr. Justice. You found them," the detective said, giving the attorney a puzzled look.

"Yes, Herr Forehead. Where was the second gun and the phone found?" Gavin asked, raising one of his perfectly stupid eyebrows at the man in red.

"Er… um… in the bottom of a trashcan… outside of Tres Bien…" Apollo said, feeling only about two inches big.

"Good," Gavin said before turning back to the witness stand. "Please continue, Herr Hunter."

"Yes, sir!" Hunter chimed happily.

" _Major dork!_ " Widget chirped brightly. I groaned softly, hating that necklace right now. Athena cringed, covering it again. If the detective heard the insult, he ignored it.

"The ballistic markings of the bullet found in the brain of the victim matches the gun found by Mr. Justice, and the gun is covered in Mr. Wright's fingerprints!" Hunter announced. The crowd broke out into murmuring, but the Judge quickly got it under control. Apollo knew better then to press this point, so he let the detective continue.

"There there's the traffic footage that proves Mr. Drake's alibi."

" _Hold it!_ What do you mean? What relevance does it have to do with Mr. Wright?" Apollo demanded.

"Well, because the car that ran the red light and nearly hit Mr. Drake didn't have a license plate, we had to analyze it to see the driver. In the passenger seat, however, is Mr. Wright," Hunter explained.

"What!?" the gasp came from Apollo, Athena, the Judge, and Maya all at the same time. Hunter nodded gravely, giving the bailiff the analyzed version. On the screen was a slowed down version of the car, zoomed in on the passenger seat, where Phoenix sat.

"Is that… tell me that's not…" Athena murmured, noticing dark red stains on the man's hoodie.

"Mr. Wright has blood on the front of his shirt. He's obviously the killer," Hunter concluded, confirming Athena's fears. Apollo, however, noticed something.

" _OBJECTION!_ " he yelled, pointing at the detective.

"What?" Hunter asked, bewildered.

"Some blood and fingerprints is not solid evidence," Apollo said.

"What are you talking about, Herr Forehead?" Gavin demanded, before slamming his fist into the wall behind him. "The fingerprints were on the murder weapon! Case closed!"

"Mr. Gavin has a point, Mr. Justice," the Judge said, looking pretty confused himself. "Is there a problem with the video, specifically?"

"Of course." Apollo said, not missing a beat. "Look at Mr. Wright's face." Everyone in the courtroom paid closer attention to the man's face. Phoenix's head was drooped on his shoulder, his eyes half closed and glazed over. His mouth was moving, like he was muttering to himself, and he seemed to be trembling. "That doesn't look like the face of a cold blooded killer. That doesn't even look like the face of a man who's scared or in shock.

"No, it looks more like Mr. Wright is out of it. Almost…" Apollo was suddenly hit with an epiphany. "Almost like he was drugged…"

The court erupted, and it was several minutes before the Judge was able to bring it back under control.

"A-are you serious, Mr. Justice?" he asked.

"Yes, your honor. But if I could say one more thing… this current trial is pointless. Until Mr. Wright is found and able to be present, you can't pass a verdict, one way or another. That would be against the law," Apollo said, hoping, beyond hope, that they could post-pone the trial until Mr. Wright could be found.

"Why… you're right, Mr. Justice!" the Judge seemed genuinely surprised. "This trial will be placed on hold until Mr. Wright is found. Court dismissed!" he banged his gavel once to signify our dismissal.

 **July 10, 11:58am**

 **District Court**

 **Defendant Lobby 3**

"So, I'm free to go now?" Nate asked. Apollo nodded.

"Yes, but… Mr. Drake, I get the feeling you have an idea of who killed Mr. Done, and who has Mr. Wright," Apollo said. The man began to reach for something at his throat, like one world for a necklace, but there was none there.

Apollo's bracelet squeezed. Hard.

"And don't even lie, Mr. Drake. You just reached for a necklace that's not there. What's going on?"

"I… alright, I have an idea. He's… someone Sully and I met before," Nate explained, glancing over at his friend.

"Someone we thought dead," Sully added.

"But now he's back, and he's going after something big. Ever hear of the Azran, Mr. Justice?" Nate asked.

"Um, yes. But I don't know that much about it…" he admitted.

"Well, they were a powerful race millions of years ago, who created a race of Golems to serve them. This was their eventual downfall, but they froze a bunch of the Golems in ice. However, there was one settlement who didn't do this. They broke the part of the Golems that gave them free will, and controlled them with something called the Noh stone. And their settlement, and that stone, is somewhere in the mountains around LA."

"And this is what the ghost from your past is after. The Noh stone," Apollo realized.

"Exactly. And we're trying to stop him. But why would he kidnap your boss?" Nate asked, studying the young man and woman in front of him.

"Because Nick was looking into something archeology related for an old friend… who happens to be the man who solved the mystery of the Azran Legacy," a new voice said. The group turned to find themselves face to face with Phoenix's wife, Maya. She walked straight up to Nate, a fire in her eyes.

"If you know the men who took him, Spirits help me, you better rescue him. Or I'm coming after you myself," she threatened. Athena winced at the pain in Maya's voice that was audible to everyone, but especially her sensitive ears, and stepped forward, wrapping an arm around the Spirit Medium.

"Come on, Maya. Let's go get a burger," she said, leading the woman out. Apollo turned back to Nate and Sully.

"So, what are you going to do?"

"We're going after this group. Not just for our own benefit, but to rescue Mr. Wright as well," Nate replied without a moment's hesitation.

"Good. I'm going with you," Apollo said. Nate opened his mouth to argue, only to be cut off.

"As are we." The group looked up once more to find Miles Edgeworth and Dick Gumshoe standing in the door.

…

A/N: No, you don't have to play Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy to understand this story. Nate just explained everything for you!

Things are coming to a head now! Will Phoenix be okay? We'll see!

I don't know when I'll next update, what with New Years and all. Speaking of which, if I don't update before then, Happy 2016, people!


	9. Rescue and Surprises

A/N: Happy New Years, everyone! Here's the next chapter, hehe.

…

Chapter Nine – Rescue and Surprises

 **July 10** **th** **, 9:45pm**

 **Mountain Pass**

Five men crept quietly along a path, moving against a rock wall one at a time to stick to the shadows. The sun had set about two hours ago, and it was a cloudy night. The only light came from the flashlight that the lead man held.

"We're close," he hissed, glancing at the man directly behind him.

"How can you tell, Mr. Drake?" Edgeworth asked. Nate glanced back at the man, and pointed to a turn in the path.

"Watch that wall," he said. Miles nodded, keeping his eyes on that spot. Nate flicked off his flashlight, and not just Miles, but the entire group, saw the glow of a soft light on the rock.

"Their camp."

"Ah."

"Okay, here's what we're going to do," Nate said, turning to the rest of the group. "I'm going to slip in and see if I can find Wright. Sully, climb up there and cover me," he said, pointing to the top of the rock wall.

"With what, kid? My gun's back at the hotel," the older man said. Nate looked around before noticing the LAPD Standard issued firearm on Gumshoe's hip. Nate stepped forward and snatched the gun from the detective's holster, handing it to Sully.

"With that," he said.

"Hey, pal!" Gumshoe growled, stepping forward. Edgeworth held up a hand.

"Stop, detective," he said.

"What? But Mr. Edgeworth…" Gumshoe started, only to fall silent at the look on the prosecutor's face. Sully inspected the gun for a few minutes before nodding.

"Alright. Let's get this goddamn party started." The older man ran over, climbing up the wall.

"What about us?" Apollo asked, looking up at Nate.

"Stay hidden and get ready to run. I'm going to try to be stealthy but… that doesn't always work," Nate admitted.

"Um… alright…"

Nate glanced up to make sure Sully was in position before creeping forward, pressing his back against the rock wall and looking around the corner. There was about five black cars and a tractor trailer with a steel storage container on the back. As Nate watched, a few men came out of a cave, talking amongst each other. Their leader motioned to the storage container, and one broke off from the group, heading in that direction. He opened the door and stepped in. A few minutes later, he stepped out, pulling a man behind him.

The man looked dazed, the lights around the camp showing how pale his face was and how dark the bags beneath his eyes were. His black hair was disheveled and he wore a dark gray and blue hoodie, jeans, and sneakers. Splattered across the front of the hoodie were dark red stains.

Nate recognized him as Phoenix Wright from the traffic footage showed in court earlier today.

The man pulling Phoenix along pushed him down to sit near a wooden crate and placed a tray of food in front of him before sitting close. Nate, knowing where Wright was, let his attention drift back to the cave before looking up at Sully.

He waved to him, catching the man's attention, and pointed to the cave. Sully shook his head, pointing at Phoenix, but Nate simply grinned at him and began on his way.

This group obviously found something in that cave. Valuable information that could be needed to figure out where the Azran settlement was.

Careful, Nate managed to ghost from his position to the entrance of the cave without getting caught.

 **July 10, 10:18pm**

 **Damp Cave**

 **Burial Chamber**

Nate gasped as he looked around the burial chamber. It was huge, full of different coffins. The back wall, however, was a mural. He walked closer, studying it, and recognizing the general shape of the mountain range as the one visible from his and Sully's hotel back in town. One specific peak, the tallest, had a gold star, but unfortunately, the picture looked incomplete.

"Hm…" he mumbled before pulling his journal out. He quickly sketched the mural down before looking around the room. Near the top, was an old mirror that looked like it could be moved. He then looked back at the gold star, returning the journal to his back pocket and going over.

"Hm… it looks like it could move…" he mumbled, touching the stone. It shifted slightly under his fingers, prompting Nate to push on it.

The gold symbol sank into the stone wall with a soft click, and suddenly, a beam of light shot from the ceiling, hitting the mirror, and reflecting to the mural. Nate studied it before looking around the room, finding the almost invisible hand and foot holds that would make up his path to the mirror.

After an uneventful climb, he pulled himself onto the ledge where the mirror sat.

"So, where do I point you?" Nate asked the mirror, gripping the handholds and studying the mural.

That's when he remembered watching the sunset over a specific mountain. He quickly studied the mural until he found the one he was looking for. He swung the mirror around so that the light reflected there.

Bingo.

The mirror locked into place, and a new light appeared from a different location, shone at the mountain, and reflected to a specific mountain peak. Nate quickly pulled his journal out and marked the location before looking around. On the ledge behind him were big, heavy rocks. He picked one up and slammed it into the mirror, shattering the glass and making it impossible for anyone else to find the settlement.

 **July 10, 10:52pm**

 **Mountain Pass**

Sully scowled at the cave entrance yet again since Nate disappeared into it. They were here on a rescue mission, and with the state Mr. Wright seemed to be in, it was going to be hard enough for Nate to get out of there unnoticed.

But, on the other hand, if this group was on to something, they needed to know.

Movement in the entrance alerted Sully to Nate finally coming out from the cave. He glanced up, waved at Sully, and hid.

"Alright, kid. Let's do this quietly," Sully mumbled, taking the safety off of his borrowed gun.

Nate pressed his back against one of the cars, glancing around it. There was about thirty feet between himself and where Mr. Wright sat. The man had hardly touched his food, Nate noticed, and every time his head nodded forward onto his chest, Phoenix would sit up quickly, his head snapping from side to side, looking pretty freaked out.

Surveying the space between himself and Phoenix, Nate picked out spots of cover before starting forward.

Phoenix took a deep breath, sitting back and resting his head against the crate he was sitting against. Guilt gnawed at him, and sleep was, yet again, impossible.

" _Psst_ ," a voice suddenly hissed close to his ear. Phoenix jumped slightly and turned his head slightly to spot the owner of the voice. It was a man, dressed totally different from the suit and ties that had captured Phoenix to begin with.

"Who are you?" Phoenix asked.

"Nate. I'm here to save your butt. Come on," he said, putting a hand under Phoenix's arm and pulling him up. Phoenix let him, knowing better then to ask questions and waste time. Nate put a finger to his lips before pointing out their path. "Just stick to the patches of cover and stay quiet," Nate hissed close to Phoenix's ear. Phoenix met his eye and nodded once, and Nate was relieved to see the determination on the man's face. He gave him a quick smirk before ghosting forward, staying two patches of cover ahead of Phoenix.

The two nearly made it to the entrance when things went wrong.

Phoenix was in the middle of moving from one patch of cover to another, when he heard the softest click, close to his ear.

"Well, well, Mr. Wright. Leaving so soon?" the smooth voice of the leader of this group said. Nate, hearing this and recognizing the voice, stopped and stepped from the cover. The man noticed the movement and looked up. "Along with Mr. Drake, it seems."

"Talbot," Nate growled. "I shot you. You fell into the quicksand back in Ubar. So how the hell are you here now?" he demanded. Talbot did look a little different then when Nate last saw him. He still wore the suit, but his dark brown hair was a little longer now, the tips brushing his shoulders, and contained a few gray strands. His five o'clock shadow was now a short, yet neatly trimmed beard, and his light blue eyes now held the haunted look of a man who'd seen and experienced way too much in his life.

Talbot just smirked at Drake. "Didn't your friend Cutter shoot me as well? You can't kill me, Drake. No matter what you do."

"I might not be able to," Nate agreed, his eyes moving from Talbot's face to a point just a few inches over the man's left shoulder. "But Sully might be able too."

"What?"

 _ **BANG!**_

The noise was soft, and it echoed off the surrounding rock walls, making it hard to tell where the shot came from. Something impacted with Talbot's shoulder, just a few inches over his heart, and Phoenix flinched away from the man. Before Talbot could make another move, Nate was on top of him, snatching his gun away.

 _Damn it, Sully! You missed!_ Nate thought in aggravation, pointing the gun at Talbot's head. "Run, Phoenix!" he yelled at the man. Phoenix hesitated, however, wanting to make sure his rescuer would be okay.

"There he is!" a voice shouted. Nate looked up, realizing he hesitated a moment too long and the time to kill Talbot, and make sure he was dead this time, was gone. Talbot's minions were running towards the three men, guns drawn. With a curse, Nate jumped up, shoving the gun into his belt, and ran, grabbing Phoenix's arm to drag the man along.

Sully took another drag on his cigar before taking aim again and picking off two more of the men giving chase. The two joined up with the three men that had been waiting, and together, those five escaped. Satisfied, Sully slipped into the darkness, taking a roundabout way to meet up with the group.

 **July 11, 12:08am**

 **Mountain Road**

The group stopped running only once they got back to the two cars they had driven. That's when Miles finally took a look at Phoenix.

Phoenix leaned against Edgeworth's shiny red sports car, his hands on his knees, breathing hard. Miles watched as he finally caught his breath and looked up. In Phoenix's eyes, he could see the same expression Edgeworth himself wore for fifteen years.

"Wright…" he mumbled. He didn't get to say much more though, before Gumshoe stepped forward, a really upset look on his face.

"Phoenix Wright, you are under arrest for the murder of Dylan Done. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law," he droned out. Phoenix just stared at the bigger man for a few minutes, seeming shocked.

"Whoa, hey, detective! What are you doing?" Apollo demanded, stepping forward. Gumshoe looked apologetically at the man.

"My job, pal. You know Mr. Wright here is the prime suspect, with charges pressed against him and all. My hands are tied on this one," Gumshoe explained. Apollo frowned, looking desperately at Edgeworth, hoping for him to do something.

"Apollo, stop," Phoenix said. The younger defense attorney turned and looked at the man who'd been a legend, and had become a mentor to him. "The truth will come out in court," Phoenix said with a smile, before turning and looking up at the detective seriously, letting the bigger man put him in handcuffs and lead him away. Apollo watched after him, boiling over with anger.

"I will drive Wright and the detective back. Mr. Drake, can you drive Mr. Justice home?" Edgeworth asked. Nate, stunned by what just happened, nodded.

"Uh, yeah," he said. The prosecutor nodded and climbed into his car. Once all three were settled, he took off, leaving the two ex-treasure hunters alone with Apollo.

"If that's what's going to happen when that detective comes to rescue someone, never let him rescue me," Nate said with a grin, slapping Sully on the shoulder before going over to their rental jeep. Sully chuckled at that, climbing in as well. Apollo watched after Edgeworth's car, rubbing his arm right below the bracelet, thinking.

"Come on, kid! We need to get back!" Sully called to Apollo, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Oh, right," Apollo mumbled, jogging over and jumping in.

 **July 11, 9:02am**

 **Detention Center**

 **Visitor's Room**

Even once the police finished their questioning and got Phoenix settled into his holding cell, it was another sleepless night. The same scene, the same sounds, everything, just continued to play over and over in his head as soon as his eyes closed.

So, instead, he paced his cell, counted the tiles on the floor, counted the tiles on the ceiling, went over different laws in his head, anything to keep himself awake.

Until visiting hours rolled around.

Now he sat across the plexiglass from two of the last people he wanted to see.

"Phoenix!" Maya gasped, pressing her hands against the glass. "You're okay."

"Yeah," Phoenix said with a tired smile, before looking at the second person. "You're not defending me in court today, are you, Apollo?"

"I am. Why?" Apollo asked, taken aback by Phoenix's tone. Phoenix hesitated for a moment before sighing.

"There will be no need. I'm pleading guilty," Phoenix announced. Both Maya and Apollo started talking at once, surprised, angry, worried, and a whole slew of other emotions. Phoenix waited for them to stop.

"Why?" Apollo demanded at the end of their rant.

"Because I did it," Phoenix said. His fingers unconsciously reached up, gingerly touching a spot on the right-back side of his neck. Apollo's bracelet squeezed almost painfully tight around his wrist, and his eyes flickered red, locking on Phoenix's hand.

What Phoenix said next shocked Apollo out of his Perceive ability though.

"I killed Dylan Done."

…

A/U: You all hate me. I know you do. MWAHAHAHAHA!

Next chapter will be coming soon!


	10. Trial Day Three

A/N: And yet another chapter! Longest one yet, too! Onward!

…

Chapter Ten – Trial Day Three

 **July 11, 9:48am**

 **District Court**

 **Defendant Lobby 3**

Phoenix watched as Apollo paced the lobby, reading over papers. He was a little frustrated that the man wouldn't give up defending him, but as he knew, the younger defense attorney could be just as stubborn as himself.

"Court starts in ten minutes, Apollo," Athena said in a subdued voice. She could hear all of the emotions coming from Phoenix's heart, and it was more then just a little overwhelming.

Especially since he refused to let her psychoanalyze him.

"Mhm," Apollo said distractedly, his pointy eyebrows drawing together as he frowned. He was more then positive that Phoenix was innocent, but without enough evidence to contradict the man's confession, he couldn't do anything about it.

"Mr. Justice," a voice said from the doorway. Apollo looked up to find Edgeworth standing there. The Chief Prosecutor waved him over, and handed him a disc.

"You're going to need this," he said.

"What is it?"

"A recording. Wright called me the night of the murder, and I recorded the call," Edgeworth explained.

"Alright. Um, thanks, Mr. Edgeworth," Apollo said, surprised. Edgeworth smiled.

"No problem. Phoenix saved me once when I believed I murdered someone. I say it's high time I returned the favor, even if it's just with this," he explained, tapping the disc before walking out. Apollo glanced at his watch, seeing he had a few minutes, before moving quickly over to a CD player with a set of headphones, listening to the disc.

"Yeah, this'll help," he said softly to himself, returning the disc to his pocket.

 **July 11, 10:00pm**

 **District Court**

 **Courtroom 3**

"Court will now reconvene for the case of Phoenix Wright. Is the prosecution ready?" the Judge said.

"Ja, your honor," Gavin replied.

"Is the defense ready?"

"Yes, your honor," Apollo answered, taking a deep breath to steady his nerves.

"It has come to my attention that Mr. Wright was found and questioned last night. What was the results of the questioning?" The Judge asked, looking at Klavier.

"Mr. Wright confessed to killing Dylan Done," he replied, glancing down at his notes.

"What!?" the Judge gasped.

"Your honor, the defense has reason to believe that Mr. Wright doesn't know exactly what happened that night," Apollo quickly said, cutting off Gavin's response. The prosecutor glanced curiously at the man across the room. "If you recall the end of the trial yesterday, I raised the possibility of Mr. Wright being drugged that night."

"That's true!" The Judge said, looking thoughtful. Apollo stood up straight, crossing his arms.

"At this time, the defense would like to exercise its right to cross-examine the defendant," he said. Phoenix shook his head, knowing this was pointless, but still feeling proud at how strong an attorney Apollo had become.

"Are you sure that's smart, Polly? If the boss is claiming he did it…" Athena asked softly. Apollo smiled at her.

"Don't worry, Athena. It's like Mr. Wright said yesterday. The truth will come out in court today."

"Do you have any objections, Mr. Gavin?" the judge asked.

"Not at all, Herr Judge. I just hope Herr Forehead is prepared."

"Prepared?" Apollo asked, his confidence dropping slightly.

"Ja. If this cross-examination proves fruitless, then you will concede that your client is guilty, like he says he is. Agreed?" Gavin said. Apollo hesitated a moment longer, but knew he didn't have another choice.

"Agreed."

"Alright," the Judge said, looking to the defendant's chair. "Mr. Wright, if you please?"

Phoenix moved from the chair to the Witness Stand, running his hand along the top. Every other time he stood in this spot, he knew he was innocent. This time was different.

"Name and occupation, please," Gavin said.

"Phoenix Wright, Defense Attorney at Law," Phoenix responded.

"Please tell us what happened, Mr. Wright," Apollo said. Phoenix nodded.

"I was looking for a lost city for an old friend of mine," he began.

" _Hold it!_ " Apollo started, before getting cut off.

"A lost city, Mr. Wright? Do you mean like Atlantis?" the judge asked, wonder in his eyes. Phoenix chuckled softly.

"Not quite, your honor, but something like that," he said, before looking at Apollo. He was the one that had first interrupted the testimony, meaning he was the one who had a question. Apollo nodded slightly.

"Why did this friend of yours call you? You're not a historian or an archeologist. You're a lawyer."

"I helped him twice before, and his other friend that lives in the area is currently away on another job," Phoenix explained.

"Why couldn't he investigate this himself?" Gavin asked.

"He lives and works as a professor in London, and his University wouldn't grant him a Sabbatical."

"Ah."

"Okay, Mr. Wright. Please continue," Apollo said.

"While I was following a lead in the mountains, I was kidnapped by a group who were also searching for the city. They forced me to help them," Phoenix explained.

" _Hold it!_ What would have happened if you refused?" Apollo asked.

"They…" Phoenix hesitated, glancing out to where Maya sat in the gallery. He was happy that Trucy and the twins weren't here to hear this part. "They would have killed me."

"Oh my!" the judge gasped. "How frightening!" Phoenix nodded in agreement.

"So what happened the night of the murder?" Gavin asked.

"My captives took me to Vitamin Park that night."

" _Hold it!_ Why?" Apollo asked. Phoenix frowned slightly, looking confused and thoughtful at the same time.

"I… honestly don't know. But, despite being in town, I wasn't able to contact anyone to help me," Phoenix replied.

" _OBJECTION!_ " Apollo yelled, surprise at this oversight by contradiction-finding king himself. "That is a downright lie, Mr. Wright. You did contact someone that night. The Chief Prosecutor himself, Mr. Edgeworth!"

"I-I did?" Phoenix gasped, looking genuinely surprised.

"Yes," Apollo said, pulling the disc out. "In fact, I have the recording right here!"

"Well, let's hear it!" the judge said. The bailiff nodded, stepping forward and taking the disc, popping it into the player. A few minutes later, the recording started.

" _Wright, where are you? What's wrong?_ " the first voice started.

"That would be Mr. Edgeworth," Apollo said.

" _I don't… I don't… I don't want to… don't want to don't want to…_ " Phoenix's voice responded to Edgeworth's question, although he didn't even seem like he was talking to Miles. Phoenix's brow furrowed as he tried to remember this conversation and make out the soft sounds of other voices in the background.

" _DON'T TOUCH ME!_ " Recorded Phoenix suddenly yelled, causing everyone in the courtroom to jump.

" _Phoenix, where the hell are you?_ "

" _Don't make me make me…_ "

" _Phoenix!_ "

" _No! Don't don't don't don't!"_

There was a pause between the two men talking, filled with the sounds of struggling.

" _Nononono… You can't make me make me make me, don't want to don't want to, no…"_ Recorded Phoenix seemed to whimper.

" _Phoenix, where are you? What's going on?"_ Edgeworth's voice was desperate.

" _ **BANG!**_ " The entire court jumped once again at the sound.

"A gunshot," Gavin observed, just as Recorded Phoenix screamed " _NO!_ "

The recording shut off.

"That was… enlightening…" the Judge muttered. Phoenix unconsciously reached up, touching the same spot on his neck that he did yesterday.

"That's… that's when I killed Mr. Done…" he muttered, looking down. His hand dropped back to his side. "But they took my phone away… I didn't make that call…"

Apollo grabbed his arm, just below his bracelet. It was squeezing his wrist tightly, and Apollo's eyes turned red, his focus sharpening in on Phoenix as his perceive abilities activated.

"What do you mean, Mr. Wright?" Apollo asked.

Phoenix turned to look at Apollo, seeing how his eyes were, but not realizing what it meant. He was wrapped up in his own confusion as he tried to figure out how that call was made, and what was going on. He didn't remember anything on that recording at all.

Except the gunshot.

"I… I picked up the murder weapon, the gun…" he started, before his hand reached up for his neck again. "And shot Mr. Done in the forehead."

Apollo's eyes locked on to where Phoenix was gingerly touching that same spot on his neck. " _Gotcha!_ " he gasped. "Mr. Wright, you may not be aware of this, but every time you talk about killing the victim, you touch a very specific spot on your neck," Apollo pointed out. Phoenix looked at the younger man, realizing what happened, that Apollo just used his abilities on him. Phoenix then took his hand away from his neck and looked at it before letting it drop to his side.

"I do?"

"Yes," Apollo said, his eyes reverting back to their normal dark brown color. "But not when you talk about picking up the murder weapon, or any other time. I believe you picked up the gun, but you didn't actually shoot anyone." Apollo slammed his fists on the desk before pointing at Mr. Wright. "Something, having to do with that spot on your neck, is making you believe you killed Mr. Done!"

Surprised gasps filled the courtroom, only to grow into more noise when the door slammed open.

Ema Skye, looking like she ran all the way here from the Police Department, stood in the doorway.

"New evidence has come to light!" she gasped.

 **July 11, 11:43pm**

 **District Court**

 **Defendant Lobby 3**

The Judge was unable to get order, so instead, he called for a twenty minute recess. Phoenix sat on the couch in the lobby, deep in thought, while Apollo tried to figure out what Ema had been talking about.

"How are you holding up, boss?" Athena asked, sitting next to Phoenix. Phoenix started slightly, looking up at her.

"I'm okay. I just… don't understand."

"What do you mean?" Athena asked.

"Well, I can't remember that night exactly, but… I am… was... convinced that I killed that man. But Apollo pointed out some really good points, like my own unconscious tells." Phoenix reached up, putting a hand on his neck, this time consciously. "And I didn't make that call to Edgeworth. Talbot took my phone when they first captured me. So… why would _he_ call Edgeworth?"

"Maybe he killed Done, and wanted the police to find the body?" Athena asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, maybe he was trying to fame Mr. Drake. Those two were competing to find this city, and apparently he had Mr. Drake's gun stolen, and used the same type of gun to murder Mr. Done, while leaving Mr. Drake's gun there. It all adds up, doesn't it?"

"It does," Phoenix agreed thoughtfully. "But why leave my phone and the second gun there?"

"Insurance. Just in case Mr. Drake got an innocent verdict. If the phone and second gun, with your fingerprints, were found, suspicion would fall on you," Athena said.

"And… it did."

"Exactly."

"Talbot's a lot smarter then he seems," Phoenix mumbled.

Just then, Ema burst into the lobby, looked around, and darted over, grabbing Apollo's shoulders.

"You need to call me as a witness," she said.

"Whoa, hey, huh?"

"That evidence I found. It helps your case, which mean you need to call me as the witness," Ema explained.

"Are you sure about this?" Apollo asked. Ema smirked, letting go of the man's shoulders and putting one hand on her hip, adjusting the glasses on top of her head with her other hand.

"Positive."

"Alright then. Just don't let me down, Ema," Apollo said seriously.

"I won't. Promise."

 **July 11, 12:03pm**

 **District Court**

 **Courtroom 3**

"We will now continue the trail of Phoenix Wright. Apparently, there is new evidence?" the judge asked. Apollo nodded.

"Yes, your honor. The um… the defense would like to call Dr. Ema Skye to the witness stand," Apollo said, not used to being the one to call a witness to the stand, let alone two in one day.

"Any objections from the prosecution?" the judge asked.

"Nope," Gavin said. The judge nodded and motioned for Ema to step up to the stand.

"Name and occupation, Fraulein Detective," Gavin asked with a grin.

"I'm not a detective anymore, you Glimmerous Fop!" she snapped before taking a deep breath. "Ema Skye, and I'm a _Forensic Scientist_ ," Ema said, enunciating the job title.

"Dr. Skye, why don't you tell us about this new evidence?" Apollo asked before Klavier could respond.

"With pleasure," Ema said with a smile at the defense attorney. "After Mr. Wright confessed to the murder last night during questioning, I decided to go investigate the crime scene myself," Ema began.

" _Hold it!_ Why?" Apollo asked.

"Because I know Mr. Wright is no killer. I thought there might still be evidence at the crime scene that was overlooked by the unscientific eye!" Ema explained.

"And what did you find, Fraulein Detective?" Gavin asked.

"He just loves to antagonize her, doesn't he?" Athena asked softly in disbelief while Ema glared at the ex-rock star.

"Like you wouldn't believe," Apollo mumbled back.

"Anyways," Ema sighed, before pulling a small evidence bag from her satchel. It contained what looked like a small tranquilizing dart. "I found this empty dart!"

" _Hold it!_ What so important about that dart?" Apollo asked, although an idea was already starting to form in his mind. Phoenix's behavior the night of the murder, how he touched that one spot on his neck… it was all coming together.

"Well, inside contains traces of a drug, and the needle part has traces of Mr. Wright's DNA on it," she explained brightly.

"What does this drug do?" Apollo asked calmly, although inside he was jumping for joy.

"Scientifically speaking, it is a neurohallucint. It makes one hallucinate, very hysteric, paranoid, and highly susceptible to suggestion," Ema explained,

"So what you're saying is that Mr. Wright was drugged into killing Mr. Done?" Gavin asked, crossing his arms.

"Of course not, Prosecutor Gavin," Ema said with a frown. "This drug also affects the body in such a way that the limbs, especially the hands, tremble violently. To make a shot directly between the eyes and cleanly sever the Corpus Callosum in half, which was the cause of death, would take a master marksman who isn't drugged. Under the influence of this, however," Ema held up the evidence bag with the dart, "the shot would be impossible."

"Um, Corpus Collosum?" Apollo asked, unfamiliar with the term.

"The longitudinal fissure that seperates the brain into two hemispheres is spanned by a band of tissue called the Corpus Collosum," Ema explained.

"Oh," Athena mumbled, although it took Apollo a few minutes longer to grasp what Ema was saying, thanks to the scientific jargon.

"As interesting as this biology lesson is," Gavin started, "there's one little issue. There is absolutely no evidence to prove that Mr. Wright was under the influence of that drug the night of the murder!"

" _OBJECTION!_ Actually, Mr. Gavin, there is," Apollo said, crossing his arms with a smirk.

"Oh? And what would this evidence be, Herr Forehead?" Gavin asked, his tone slightly condescending. Apollo's smirk grew, happy for a chance to stick it to this prosecutor for once. He uncrossed his arms and slammed his fists down on the desk.

"The recorded phone call!" he said. "After all, I'd say Mr. Wright sounds quite hysteric, wouldn't you?" Apollo crossed his arms again with a smirk. Unable to refute that, Mr. Gavin shrugged with a smile.

"I'd say this clears up any doubt about Mr. Wright's innocence. Not the question is… what happened that night?"

"The defense has a theory based on the evidence and testimony presented so far," Apollo said. "Mr. Done was reporting to the Mr. Drake's competitors his movements, and this was the same group that kidnapped Mr. Wright. That group went to Tres Bien, probably to stop Mr. Drake, taking Mr. Wright with them. However, Mr. Drake was already gone by the time they made it to the restaurant."

"Mr. Done knew too much about this lost city though, so someone from the group killed him and planted Mr. Drake's gun at the scene in an attempt to frame him to get him out of the way, which almost worked. As insurance, they drugged Mr. Wright, using a dart full of the stuff to his neck," Apollo indicated on himself the same spot that Mr. Wright kept touching unconsciously, "and had him hold the real murder weapon, thus his fingerprints."

"They then hid the gun and Mr. Wright's phone at the scene of the crime and left, telling Mr. Wright that he was the one who killed Mr. Done. Mr. Wright, who was highly susceptible to suggestion thanks to the drug, believed them."

"And the phone call to Mr. Edgeworth?" Gavin asked.

"The defense believes that the real murderer called Mr. Edgeworth in an attempt to alert the police to the crime so that they would arrest Mr. Drake faster," Athena said, repeating her theory that she had told Phoenix during the recess. The Judge nodded thoughtfully.

"Is this lost city really worth all of this?" he asked thoughtfully.

"Well, most lost cities contain legends of unimaginable wealth, and we all know what certain types of men would do for money," Gavin said.

"Sad, but true," the Judge sighed. He nodded.

"Well, it's time to hand down my verdict. I find the defendant, Mr. Phoenix Wright, innocent of all charges!" he slammed his gavel down.

 **July 11, 2:18pm**

 **District Court**

 **Defendant's Lobby 3**

"So, Mr. Wright," Apollo said with a smirk, walking next to the man. "Still think you're guilty?"

"No," Phoenix said with a chuckle, draping an arm over the younger man's shoulders. "Thank you, Apollo," he said sincerely. Apollo smiled with a small shrug.

"It was nothing."

"Congrats," a voice said from the door. Phoenix dropped his arm and looked up. Standing in the doorway were Nate and Sully.

"What are you doing here?" Phoenix asked.

"Watching the trial," Nate said with a grin. "Didn't know if we'd have to put our two cents in or not."

"Thankfully not," Sully added.

"Well, now what?" Phoenix asked the two.

"We're going after the city. I know the location," Drake said.

"I'm coming with you," Phoenix said without a moment's hesitation.

"Whoa, I don't know about that, Wright. It's going to be dangerous," Sully warned. Phoenix smiled slightly.

Phoenix smirked thinking back to his brushes with multiple mobs, burning bridges, witches, and most recently, hostile treasure hunters. "Mr. Sullivan, I've faced more danger then you'd probably believe."

…

A/N: Tada! Two more chapters to this story. I'll post again tomorrow!


	11. The Lost City

A/N: I know I said I would write yesterday, but Mom and me spent the day together, so… yeah, you guys lost out, haha.

Also, I meant to say in the last chapter, I have this head cannon that Phoenix feels totally fatherly towards Apollo, even if it shows up in odd ways (teasing and such), but when it really counts, it shows through.

In this chapter, Phoenix calls his morals into question a lot (mainly because doing anything with Nate and Sully will do that to anyone, heh.)

Okay, ONWARD!

…

Chapter Eleven – The Lost City

 **July 11, 3:42pm**

 **Unknown Location**

"So why are we bringing him along?" Sully asked, glancing into the back seat where Phoenix was sleeping. His arms were crossed over his chest, his one leg crossed over his other knee, and his chin on his chest.

"He deserves to know about this settlement, Sully. It wouldn't be fair if we left him behind, after everything he's been through," Nate explained.

"Yeah, but Nate," Sully chuckled, shaking his head. "He can't even shoot a gun. And he refused to."

"Wouldn't be the first time someone I had someone who refused to use a gun tag along," Nate said, glancing in the mirror as well to look at the sleeping Phoenix.

"Yeah, and look at how that went," Sully said with a laugh.

"Hey, we already know where the city is this time. We didn't with her," Nate explained.

"And if this isn't the city, but just another crumb in the trail?" Sully asked. Nate shrugged with a grin.

"We'll improvise."

"Ah. Improvise. One of your favorite words."

"Oh shut up."

 **July 11, 4:26pm**

 **Azran Settlement**

 **Settlement Entrance**

"Phoenix, wake up," Nate said, reaching back and slapping the man's foot. Phoenix shot up, his eyes flying open.

"I'm awake!" he gasped. "Everything okay? What's going on?" he gasped. Nate and Sully chuckled at him, checking their weapons.

"Nothing. Yet," Sully grinned.

"We're here," Nate explained to the confused man.

"Oh. Sorry I fell asleep," Phoenix said with a weak smile. Nate shook his head.

"No prob."

The three men got out of the jeep, two of them checking their guns, the third looking around.

"So, this is Azran technology," Phoenix mumbled, before pulling out his phone and started to take pictures.

"Yep," Nate said with a smile before gently propelling the defense attorney forward. "Common, the real treat will be in the palace."

"Heh, right," Phoenix said, letting Nate lead him.

They didn't make it far before Sully grabbed them both by the backs of their shirts and yanked them behind an old building.

"Whoa!"

"Hey!"

"Shh!" Sully hissed. He then pointed down the road and held up three fingers. Nate nodded, preparing his gun, before Sully pointed up to the roofs before holding up another two fingers. Nate sighed softly, glancing up at the wall they were against. Phoenix, on the other hand, shook his head.

"I solved a light and mirror puzzle for them in that cave," Phoenix admitted, barely breathing the words. Nate scowled.

"Of course," he mumbled. "That's how they got here first."

"Well, let's just make sure we get to the palace first," Sully said with a smirk. Nate nodded, glancing around the corner again.

"So, how we going to play this? Quiet or loud?" Nate asked. Sully looked at Phoenix, who was watching the conversation.

"Quiet. We don't need to get into a fire fight while Phoenix is with us," Sully replied. Nate nodded.

"Wait here then."

He ghosted forward, diving between patches of cover, until he was right behind a crate that one of the men were leaning on. He suddenly stood, grabbed the man, and dragged him over the crate, slamming his elbow into the man's throat.

As Nate's bad luck would have it, though, one of the men on the roof turned to walk along the edge, and saw that.

"It's Drake! He's here!" he yelled, sounding the alarm.

"Dammit, kid!" Sully growled, spinning out of cover and shooting the man on the roof in the head. Phoenix's eyes widened, and his stomach lurched as he realized Sully probably just killed that guy.

"I-I thought you were just shooting to wound," he said. Sully looked back at him.

"Wright, if we just wounded them, they'd kill us," he explained, and Phoenix realized he was right. "Stay here." Sully dove out of cover, helping Drake take out the men aiming to kill them.

Phoenix waited with baited breath, unsure of what to think. He defended people wrongly accused of crimes, usually murders, for a living, and usually caught the real killers in the process.

But here were two men, who had rescued him, killing people.

But it was in self-defense, right? Those other men would kill Nate and Sully, and himself, without a second thought.

Who knew archeology could be so dangerous…

The shooting stopped. Phoenix hesitated before peeking out.

"Quietly, huh?" Sully demanded.

"Oh well."

Phoenix came over, determined not to look at the bodies. "Do you two, um… do that often?" he asked, motioning around with his hand. Nate and Sully looked at each other.

"Used to," Nate admitted. "But never in cold blood. Usually it's in the heat of the moment."

"Ah."

"Come on, we have to keep moving," Sully said, leading the two forward. Phoenix followed, wondering if he was wise to come after all.

 **July 11, 5:18pm**

 **Azran Settlement**

 **The Palace**

Unfortunately, since the alarm was raised, the trio had a much harder time getting to the palace. Thankfully, they got there in one piece.

"Finally," Nate gasped, pushing open the doors. Inside was dark, with no lights. He grinned, pulling a flashlight out. "Phoenix, I know you won't touch a gun, but what about a flashlight?" he held it up. Phoenix smiled weakly.

"Sure," he said, taking it and turning it on. The three moved through the palace quietly, hoping to not meet anyone. Unfortunately, Nate and Phoenix were probably the two unluckiest people in the world.

"There they are!" a voice yelled, accompanied by gunshots. Phoenix, being the one holding the flashlight, was the most obvious target.

"GET DOWN!" Nate yelled, tackling Phoenix to behind a collapsed pillar and knocking the flashlight from his hand. It went spinning away, and both groups were plunged into darkness.

"Sully, you okay?" Nate called, having not seen what happened to the older man.

"All good, kid!" Sully called back. Phoenix took a deep breath, forcing his heart to calm down.

"We can't see them, and they can't see us," he asked Nate softly. "So now what?" Nate held up his phone with a smirk.

"We improvise." He leaned out of from behind the fallen pillar and slid it across the room.

"What is it? A grenade?" a voice called.

 _Gernades!?_ Phoenix thought in alarm.

Nate slipped over to Sully.

"Call me," he hissed.

"What?" Sully asked.

"No, it's a phone," another voice asked.

Nate smirked, motioning towards the guys before slipping back to the pillar.

"Oh…" Sully mumbled before pulling out his own phone and calling Nate's. The other phone lit up, revealing three men around it. Without hesitation, Sully and Nate popped out of cover and shot those three before dropping back under cover.

"Shit, it was a trap!" another voice yelled.

 _Crunch!_

"Damn it," Nate grumbled.

"Didn't get them all, huh?" Sully mumbled before looking over at Nate and Phoenix, unsure of what to do now. Phoenix hesitated before pulling his own phone out and looking at it.

"Can you two aim by sound?" he asked. Nate turned to look at him and nodded, before noticing the phone he held.

"Improvise?" Nate asked with a smirk.

"Improvise," Phoenix confirmed, sliding his own phone out, aiming for the direction he heard the last two voices. He then dove over to where Sully sat and quickly told him his number. Sully frowned.

"They won't fall for the same trick twice," he warned Phoenix.

"Just trust me," Phoenix said.

"Well… alright," Sully said, calling Phoenix's phone.

Phoenix's phone lit up this time, accompanied by the Steel Samurai theme song. The phone was immediately broken, but the last two men weren't silent.

"What the hell was that?" one of the men snickered.

"Sounded like something from a kid's—"

 _Ban-Bang!_

Phoenix shivered at hearing the two men drop, but a morbid sense of relief spread through his stomach as well.

That was five less men trying to kill them.

"What was that? That ring tone?" Nate asked, the sound of laughter in his own voice.

"The theme song to this old kid's show. Every time I get a new phone, my wife sets it," Phoenix explained before shrugging. "And I noticed that there were two types of people in this world. Those who find it hilarious, or those fan-gush over it."

"So that was your plan," Sully said with a grin, clasping Phoenix on the shoulder. "Well, we better find that flashlight. That trick won't work with only one phone."

"Hopefully, it won't come to that," Nate said, walking over to where he heard the flashlight clatter. After a little bit of searching, he found it and turned it on. "This time, I'll carry it," he said with a grin at Phoenix. "Don't want to make the only one in our group without a gun a walking target."

Phoenix chuckled weakly. "Alright."

 **July 11, 7:42pm**

 **Azran Settlement**

 **Throne Room**

The Throne Room was large and round, much like the burial chamber found in the mountain cave. Nate looked around, letting out a low whistle.

"Take a look at this," he breathed.

"Amazing, isn't it, Mr. Drake?" an all too familiar voice said. Nate spun around, pointing the flashlight in the direction of the voice.

"Talbot," he growled. The man stood near a throne, made from the same stone as the walls. In front of it, however, was a solid golden sphere, a globe, the size of a small airplane. Phoenix frowned deeply, his scowl deepening when Talbot turned his attention on him.

"Mr. Wright too. I guess you both know good lawyers," he mused. Phoenix smirked, his hands on his hips.

"Yep. After all, two of the best are in my employment," he said. Talbot frowned slightly, having not realized Phoenix himself was a lawyer. He then shook his head, drawing a gun.

"The Noh stone, or should I say, Sphere, is mine."

"There are three of us, and one of you, Talbot. I think we have you outnumbered," Nate pointed out. Sully, however, noticed something behind them that made his heart drop.

"Uh, kid…" he said. Nate looked back and cursed. Five men stood behind them, their guns trained on the trio.

"Now what?" Phoenix asked. Outwardly, he was calm, but inside, his stomach was churning with panic.

"Improvise," Nate said with a smirk. He pulled something out of his pocket, fiddled it, then threw it at the men.

"Get down!" he yelled, grabbing Sully and Phoenix and diving further into the room, away from the entrance.

"GERNADE!" one of the five men yelled.

 _ **BOOM!**_

Phoenix's teeth rattled as he laid on the ground on his stomach, showered in the dust from the explosion's debris.

"What the hell did I get myself into…?" he groaned.

"Nate's goddamn improvising," Sully growled from where he was picking himself up off the ground. "I am getting way too old for this…"

Nate was up and on the move though. He dove at Talbot, grabbing his gun hand and wrenching it upward, just as the gun discharged. Talbot managed to land a punch on Nate's face as the two struggled for the gun, but Nate ducked under a second punch, ramming his shoulder into Talbot's stomach. The two men moved around the room, struggling.

Another tremble rocked the room. Phoenix watched as a large crack, originating from where the entrance was to the middle of the ceiling.

"Uh… Sully?" he said, touching the shoulder of the older man. Sully looked over at Phoenix, then followed his gaze and looked up.

"Goddamn it."

"This happen often?" Phoenix asked.

"Yep."

"Every time?"

"Every time."

Meanwhile, more tremors shook the room, finally gaining the notice of the two struggling men.

"Not again!" Talbot yelled, shoving Nate away, into Sully, and diving for the sphere. Phoenix noticed, and remembering all the research the professor sent him, knew this was not something that should fall into the wrong hands.

"NO!" he yelled, tackling Talbot. The two men rolled across the room, Talbot, who was much more used to fighting, quickly gaining the advantage, his hands locking around Phoenix's throat.

Phoenix gasped, his lungs quickly burning for air. He grasped at Talbot's hands and scratched at his face, but with no luck. Nate, on the other hand, spotted a more permanent solution for making sure the Sphere never winded up in the wrong hands.

Across the chamber, probably left by one of Talbot's men, was an M79-Hammer, a break-action, shoulder-fired grenade launcher. He detangled himself from Sully, bolted across the room, grabbed it, and turned, unloading all ten grenades at the sphere.

Sully, meanwhile, tackled Talbot off of Phoenix, who rolled onto his side, gasping and choking for air.

 _ **BA-BA-BA-BOOOOOM!**_ All of the grenades went off at the same time, shattering the sphere. Nate dove behind a large rock, while Sully left Talbot and dragged the still gasping Phoenix into cover as well.

"NO!" Talbot yelled, furious. He grabbed his gun from the ground where it was discarded during his struggle with Nate, and took two steps towards the three men.

A tremor shook the room, and more cracks spider-webbed from the first. Large chunks fell from the ceiling.

The palace was coming down.

"We have to get out of here!" Nate yelled.

"What else is new?" Sully yelled back, helping Phoenix up, who was holding one hand gingerly to his throat.

Talbot rushed towards a window and jumped through it, shattering the stained-glass, but escaping the destruction. Nate, Sully, and Phoenix were close behind.

 **July 11, 9:54pm**

 **Azran Settlement**

 **Main Road**

"We should be safe here," Nate gasped, slowing his run to a walk.

"What about those tremors, kid?" Sully asked, crossing his arms. The ground shook violently underfoot yet again, something that's been happening ever five minutes since the destruction of the palace.

This time was different.

The shaking didn't stop.

"What the!?" Nate gasped. Phoenix, his voice raspy, finally spoke up.

"This city is built over a giant sink hole. What if…"

"What if it's sink—" Sully didn't get to finish the thought. The road next to his left foot suddenly disappeared, dropping into the sink hole below.

"Run!" Sully yelled. The three took off, trying to keep their balance while the ground shook, while also dodging and jumping over different gaps that suddenly appeared in the ground.

Suddenly, a hole opened up under Nate.

"Whoa!" he yelled as he dropped into it. Sully, seeing this, dove forward, catching Nate's wrist.

"Hold on, kid!" Sully yelled, trying to pull him up. Phoenix ran over, grabbing Nate's other wrist, and together, the two men managed to pull him up.

"Thanks," he gasped, before starting to run again.

The three finally spotted the jeep, and nearly reached it, when the ground opened up under it, and it vanished.

Sully groaned.

"You can just get another, right?" Phoenix asked.

"That was a rental."

"Oh."

Finally, the three made it out of the settlement. The ground stopped shaking and vanishing.

They were safe.

"Where's Talbot?" Sully asked as they sat on a few scattered rocks. Phoenix gingerly felt his neck again, swallowing carefully with a wince. It hurt to do even that, with how bruised his throat was.

"Gone," Nate said. "Talbot escaped."

…

A/N: Tada! Poor guys, never able to catch a break.

Also, I think Professor Layton would have had an aneurysm at the destruction of the Azran Settlement…

Oh well!


	12. Returning Home

A/N: Alright, guys, last chapter!

After this story, I'll be writing one more before I go back to school, called "A Mother's Dilemma." After the explosion in the courtroom that lands Apollo in the hospital (during Dual Destinies), Thalassa Gramarye show up. Phoenix wont let her in unless she tells Apollo and Trucy the truth about her, but she wont. Phoenix giver her two months to tell the siblings, or he will.

You all can thank WolfieRed23 for asking me about a story about the relationship between Trucy, Apollo, and Thalassa, and while I had nothing planned, plot bunnies began to be born.

But, the end of this story first. ONWARD!

…

Chapter Twelve – Returning Home

 **July 12, 1:04pm**

 **Fey Manor**

 **Family Room**

"Trucy!" Misty said, darting over to her older sister and tugging on her cape. Trucy looked down and smiled, even if she didn't quite feel like it.

"Yeah?"

"Where's Daddy?"

Trucy bit her lip. This was the eighth time one of the twins had asked about Phoenix just today, umpteenth million time in the last week since he went away.

"He went away for work, remember?"

"Yeah…" Misty sniffled, looking down. Trucy hesitated before reaching into her back and pulling a lever. The Amazing Mr. Hat spun his way out from beneath her cape, stole her hat, and placed it on his own head.

"Don't worry, Misty! Your daddy will be home soon," Mr. Hat said. Misty squealed, distracted from her sadness. Joshua, who was playing with blocks, also squealed when seeing Mr. Hat, and shot over, jumping up and down. Trucy smiled slightly at that, letting Mr. Hat tell jokes to the twins that she read off the backs of Laffy-Taffy's.

Just then, the door opened. All four looked up. In the doorway stood Maya and Phoenix. Phoenix had a shirt with a higher collar, hiding the deep bruising around his throat.

"Daddy!" the twins squealed at the same time, darting over and launching themselves at him. He laughed, catching the two and hugging them tightly.

"I missed you two," he said softly to them both, before looking up and quirking an eyebrow at Trucy. "Too old for a hug, Truce?"

Trucy pressed her lips together, Mr. Hat going back into hiding under his cape. She was trying hard not to cry, but unlike the twins, she knew exactly what had been going on.

"D-daddy…" she sniffled, unable to hold back the tears. She ran forward and threw her arms around the man and the twins, surprising all three of them.

"Trucy?" Joshua asked in worry. Phoenix maneuvered the twins so that Maya could take them, then hugged Trucy tightly, rubbing her back, a sense of déjà vu stealing over him. Maya had the same reaction earlier this morning.

"Don't worry, sweetie. I'm okay," he said softly.

"I know," Trucy mumbled against his chest, burying her face more. Phoenix smiled, lifting up and removing her silk hat before kissing the top of her head. Maya smiled warmly at the picture.

A little later, once the twins were in bed, Phoenix sat down and pulled out his new cell phone, dialing a number and putting the phone to his ear. A few minutes later, he smiled.

"Hey, Professor. Do I have a story for you."

 **July 12, 10:03pm**

 **The Drake Residence**

Elena sighed, one hand buried in her hair, the other resting on the keyboard of her computer. She was supposed to be writing an article about the religious wars in the middle east, to be run tomorrow morning, but all she could think about was Nate and Sully.

"I hope you two are safe," she breathed, minimizing the word processor and studying the desktop picture. It was of her and Nate on their last anniversary, on the beach.

Just then, a pair of callused hands covered her eyes. Elena, reacting on instincts honed by years of running around with Nate and constantly being in danger, slammed her elbow back into the man's stomach.

"Oof!"

She then pushed the computer chair back, hard, into the man, stood, and turned quickly, bringing her hands up to protect herself.

Nate stood, crouched over, his arms wrapped around his stomach.

"Jesus, woman!" he wheezed, trying to catch his breath.

"Nate!" Elena said with a huge grin, darting over and throwing her arms around the man and kissing him. Nate pulled away after a moment before finally catching her breath.

"Hi. That type of foreplay was new," Nate said with a grin. Elena rolled her eyes. But grinned, kissing him again.

…

A/N: The end! Nate should know better then to sneak up on Elena, hehe. And oh Trucy, trying to be the strong older sister.

Well, onto planning the next story!


End file.
